Chapter 11
Introduction to investigation of the 46 priests
Selecting the representative sample
11.1
The Commission received information about complaints, suspicions or
knowledge of child sexual abuse in respect of 172 named priests and 11
unnamed priests. (Some or all of the 11 unnamed priests may, of course, be
included in the 172 named priests.)
After a preliminary examination, the
Commission concluded that 102 of these priests were within remit. Of those
priests who were not within the Commission‟s terms of reference, two main
reasons for their exclusion were identified:
the complaint was made outside the time period 1975 – 2004;
the priest was not operating under the aegis of the Archdiocese of
Dublin at the time of the alleged abuse. The priests in question here
were mainly priests belonging to religious orders and societies who
were working in Dublin but not on behalf of the Archdiocese.
11.2
The Commission decided that the only realistic way in which it could
select and report on a representative sample of those complaints and
suspicions was to select a representative sample of the priests concerned.
Otherwise, the Commission may have had to investigate every priest within
remit. The representative sample was chosen from the group of 102 priests
who were within remit. The Commission took the view that it was impractical
to make two separate samples for those against whom complaints were made
and those about whom there were suspicions or concerns. Almost invariably,
there were suspicions or concerns expressed about those against whom
complaints were made. There was a very small number of priests about
whom suspicions or concerns were expressed but about whom no actual
complaints were made.
11.3
From the outset, the Commission was of the view that the purpose of
sampling was to allow the Commission to examine and report on the
complete picture in an efficient and expeditious manner.
Accordingly, the
sample selected had to ensure coverage of the entire of the relevant period,
being January 1975 to May 2004. It had to encompass single abusers and
multiple abusers to allow examination of differences in treatment (if any). It
had to include instances where there was interaction between Church and
State authorities in respect of complaints, knowledge, suspicions or concerns
171
of child sexual abuse so that the Commission could discharge its function of
reporting on the levels of communication that prevailed between all relevant
authorities and indeed whether there was any evidence of attempts on the
part of the Archdiocese or other Church authorities or on the part of public or
State authorities to obstruct, prevent or interfere with the proper investigation
of such complaints. Another factor to be borne in mind is the volume of
information available on each case.
This led the Commission to conclude
that it should examine every case in which the relevant priest had been
convicted in the criminal courts. Furthermore, issues such as confidentiality
and damage to reputation or good name are less difficult in such cases.
11.4
While bearing these criteria in mind, the Commission engaged the
services of a prominent statistician, Dr Teresa Brannick of University College
Dublin to devise the sampling method so as to ensure that the sample
selected was genuinely representative. She compiled a list of 47 priests
spread over the three decades about whom there had been complaints or
suspicions relating to child sexual abuse.
11.5
Documentary research into all priests in the representative sample
was completed. As a result of this research one priest was found not to have
been within the Commission‟s terms of reference leaving a total of 46 priests
to be examined. Later on, the Commission became aware of a small number
of other complaints which would have brought the cleric concerned within
remit.
It would have been impossible for the Commission to revise the
representative sample when it became aware of these complaints and, in any
event, Dr Brannick was satisfied that the original sample selected was an
adequate representative sample even for the larger group.
11.6
The Commission conducted its investigation by means of oral
evidence and in-depth analysis of the documentation supplied by all parties.
Where gaps in the evidence were apparent, the Commission filled them,
where appropriate and possible, with questionnaires and follow up interviews.
Follow up was not always possible because a number of the significant
participants are dead or too ill to be interviewed.
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The priests
11.7
Of the 46 priests in the representative sample, 11 are or were
members of religious orders; four of these are dead. One priest belongs to a
UK diocese. Of the 34 priests from the Dublin Archdiocese, ten are dead, 20
are out of ministry and four are in ministry. Of the 20 who are out of ministry,
11 are being financially supported by the Archdiocese; nine are laicised.
11.8
Of the 46 priests whose cases were examined by the Commission, 17
were 40 years of age or older when complainants indicated that the first
incidence of abuse had taken place. This is a worrying feature in the view of
the members of the Commission. Although there is no evidence that any of
these priests abused prior to age 40, the Commission, given the evidence it
has uncovered, would be reluctant to conclude that no abuse took place prior
to the age of 40.
The complaints
11.9
It is important to realise that it was not the function of the Commission
to establish whether child sexual abuse actually took place but rather to
record the manner in which complaints were dealt with by Church and State
authorities.
While a significant number of the priests against whom
allegations were made admitted child sexual abuse, some denied it. It is also
important in the Commission‟s view not to equate the number of complaints
with the actual instances of child sexual abuse. Of those investigated by the
Commission, one priest admitted to sexually abusing over 100 children, while
another accepted that he had abused on a fortnightly basis during the
currency of his ministry which lasted for over 25 years. The total number of
documented complaints recorded against those two priests is only just over
70.
11.10
Of the 46 priests surveyed, 11 pleaded guilty to or were convicted in
the criminal courts of sexual assaults on children.
11.11
There is one clear case of a false accusation of child sexual abuse –
Fr Ricardus*.52
52
There are two cases where there were suspicions or
Names marked with an asterisk are pseudonyms.
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concerns but no actual complaint of child sexual abuse – Fr Guido* and Fr
Magnus*.
11.12
Of the 320 plus complaints that the Commission is aware of from its
representative sample the ratio of boys to girls is 2.3 boys: 1 girl.
Personnel in Dublin Archdiocese who dealt with complaints
11.13
The following were the main people in the Dublin Archdiocese who
dealt with complaints of child sexual abuse over the period covered by the
Commission:
Archbishops
Period in Office
Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
1940 – 1972 (deceased)
Archbishop Dermot Ryan
1972 – 1984 (deceased)
Archbishop Kevin McNamara
1985 – 1987 (deceased)
Archbishop Desmond Connell
1988 – 2004 (retired)
(Archbishop Connell became a Cardinal in 2001.)
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin
2004 – present
Auxiliary bishops
Period in Office
Bishop Joseph Carroll
1968 – 1989 (deceased)
(Bishop Carroll was Administrator of the Archdiocese from September 1984
when Archbishop Ryan departed for Rome to January 1985 when Archbishop
McNamara was appointed and again from the death of Archbishop
McNamara in April 1987 to the appointment of Archbishop Connell in March
1988.)
1980 – 1984
Bishop Brendan Comiskey
(Bishop Comiskey was appointed bishop of Ferns in April 1984 and resigned
from that position in April 2002.)
1997 – 2005
Bishop Martin Drennan
(Bishop Drennan is currently bishop of Galway.)
Bishop Patrick Dunne
1946 – 1984 (deceased)
Bishop Raymond Field
1997 - present
Bishop Laurence Forristal
1980 – 1981
(Bishop Forristal was appointed bishop of Ossory in 1981 and retired in
2007.)
Bishop James Kavanagh
1972 - 1998 (deceased)
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Bishop James Moriarty
1991 - 2002
(Bishop Moriarty is currently bishop of Kildare & Leighlin.)
Bishop Donal Murray
1982 - 1996
(Bishop Murray is currently bishop of Limerick.)
Bishop Dermot O‟Mahony
1975 – 1996 (retired)
(Bishop O‟Mahony also served as chancellor from 1975 to 1981)
Bishop Fiachra Ó Ceallaigh
1994 – present
Bishop Eamonn Walsh
1990 – present
(Bishop Walsh was dean of Clonliffe College from 1977 to 1985 and also
served as priest secretary to the Archbishop from 1985 to 1990; he was
Apostolic Administrator of the Ferns diocese from 2002 to 2006.)
Bishop Desmond Williams
1984 – 1993 (deceased)
Chancellors
Period in office
Monsignor Gerard Sheehy
1965 –1975 (deceased)
Bishop Dermot O‟Mahony
1975 – 1981 (retired)
Monsignor Alex Stenson
1981 – 1997
(Monsignor Stenson is now a parish priest in the Archdiocese.)
Monsignor John Dolan
1997 - present
Director of the Child Protection Service
2003 – present
Mr Philip Garland
Others
A number of senior priests who did not have an official role in the area but who
were clearly held in high regard by the Archbishop of the time were asked to help
investigate individual complaints of child sexual abuse. They included:
Monsignor Richard Glennon who had been chancellor from 1945 to 1955
and was subsequently a vicar general (deceased);
Monsignor James Ardle MacMahon, who was Archbishop McQuaid‟s
secretary from 1954 until 1972 and subsequently an episcopal vicar for
religious and a parish priest (retired);
Monsignor Jerome Curtin, who had been an assistant chancellor, a vicar
general, the episcopal vicar for religious and a parish priest (retired);
Monsignor John O‟Regan who had been chancellor from 1955 to 1965
and subsequently a vicar general and a parish priest (deceased).
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Once their investigations were complete these men did not generally have
any further role in dealing with either the priest or the complainants.
The various secretaries to the archbishops, while they had no official direct
role in dealing with child sexual abuse cases, were frequently the conduit for
complaints, for receiving professional reports and for communicating with
bishops and priests.
Treatment centres
11.14
Priests were sent for assessment and sometimes for treatment to
various psychiatrists and psychologists. Long-term treatment was provided in
a number of treatment centres of which the most important for the purposes
of this report were the centres run by the Servants of the Paraclete and the
Hospitaller Order of St John of God.
These two organisations are Church
authorities.
11.15
The Servants of the Paracletes is a religious order established in New
Mexico, USA in 1947, with a stated mission of ministering to troubled priests.
In its early years the order treated priests suffering disorders primarily relating
to alcohol, but from the 1970s, it began treating priests who had sexually
abused children. Because of the nature of its work, its existence was not
widely trumpeted, but was known to Church authorities who needed to avail
of its services. The order is affiliated with the Discalced Carmelites. Having
been established in Jemez Springs, New Mexico in 1947, it expanded rapidly
and within 12 years it had 11 houses around the globe, including houses in
England and Scotland. One of those houses was in Stroud. Eight of the
priests in the representative sample were sent to Stroud.
11.16
The Granada Institute was established in Dublin in 1994 by the
Hospitaller Order of St John of God. Its remit is “to provide assessment and
treatment services to those who have committed sexual offences involving
children and, where appropriate, to advise on the management of this client
population”. It provides services to lay people as well as clerics. It has seen
25 of the priests in the representative sample.
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Chapter 12
Fr James McNamee
Introduction
12.1
“We would always be hovering around the late James McNamee when
he arrived at the school because he had this very charismatic presence. I
would say he was like St. Francis of Assisi, you know, the kids would come
around him like pigeons used to come around”.
12.2
This is how a young man described Fr James McNamee to the
Commission.
12.3
Fr McNamee was born in 1917, was ordained in 1942, retired to
become a convent chaplain in 1979 and died in 2002.
12.4
At least 21 people have made complaints of sexual abuse against Fr
McNamee. These complaints date back to his period as a curate in
Rolestown between 1950 and 1952, as a curate in Halston Street and Arran
Quay between 1952 and 1960, as a curate in Harrington Street from 1960 to
1968 and in Crumlin, both as a curate between 1968 and 1973 and as parish
priest between 1973 and 1979.
Stella Maris Football Club
12.5
The first allegation about Fr McNamee arose in January 1960, when a
former altar boy, on the advice of a priest in Rathfarnham, spoke to a priest in
relation to Fr McNamee‟s behaviour. The former altar boy informed the priest
that he had heard from two former members of a football club with which Fr
McNamee was associated, Stella Maris, that Fr McNamee had acted in an
inappropriate manner when the boys had showered after returning from a trip
to the seaside. The former altar boy also stated that he had witnessed Fr
McNamee bathing with naked adolescent boys and placing the boys on his
shoulders.
12.6
These matters were investigated by the auxiliary bishop, Bishop
Dunne. Fr McNamee denied the allegations and stated that he had merely
permitted the boys to use the showers after returning from the seaside.
Bishop Dunne believed Fr McNamee‟s version of events, as did Archbishop
177
McQuaid when it was reported to him. The Archbishop noted that “as he is a
worthy priest I agree that we could not refuse to accept his word”.
12.7
Fr McNamee informed the Archbishop that he would like to withdraw
from the Stella Maris club, the football club from where the allegations
emanated, as he was tired, having worked there for a number of years. The
Archbishop was willing to let him withdraw but not at once “lest he be
defamed”.
12.8
On meeting Fr McNamee, Archbishop McQuaid told him to forget
about it. Archbishop McQuaid noted that he himself was convinced that the
man was quite without blame.
12.9
Subsequently, there were a number of complaints from members of
the Stella Maris football club who recalled Fr McNamee swimming nude with
other team members.
Swimming pool complaint, 1978
12.10
The first specific recorded complaint about Fr McNamee and his
activities in his home built swimming pool in Crumlin was made in March
1978. However, it is clear that the Archdiocese was aware of suspicions and
concerns about his activities before this. A file note of an interview conducted
with Bishop Forristal in February 2006 indicated that he remembered a
meeting of vicars general in or around the autumn of 1977, at which
Archbishop Ryan noted that there had been a lot of incidents involving a
swimming pool and Fr McNamee and that consequently Archbishop Ryan
expressed the view: “This fellow has to go. He can‟t work in parish work
anymore”. Bishop Forristal told the Commission in 2009 that he accepts that
he did say this in 2006 but he is now unsure when Archbishop Ryan made
that remark. It may have been sometime after the autumn of 1977. The
Commission notes that there was a meeting of the vicars general in the winter
of 1977.
12.11
In March 1978, a parishioner complained to a nun that her eldest son
had reported that Fr McNamee and a number of boys were swimming and
exercising in the nude in a swimming pool in the garden of the priest‟s house.
It was also alleged that a nude boy sat on the priest‟s knee for a chat.
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12.12
The nun told the complainant to get in touch with the Archbishop and
not to mention it to anybody else.
Archbishop Ryan directed Monsignor
O‟Regan, the parish priest of Sandymount and a former chancellor, to
conduct an inquiry.
12.13
Monsignor O‟Regan met the mother promptly and took an account of
what she had to say. He found her to be a credible witness. He also made
inquiries about her two sons and was told that they were truthful boys. His
conclusion was that “a possibly explosive situation exists locally, which could
be very scandalous indeed”. He also stated that “even now, many innocent
boys may be safeguarded, and the whole adult Catholic population spared
the hurt of a real scandal in Crumlin”. There is no evidence as to whether or
not Monsignor O‟Regan was aware of the 1960 complaint but the
Commission considers that he is unlikely to have been told about it. He may,
however, have been told of the suspicions and concerns of which the vicars
general were aware but this cannot be established.
12.14
Monsignor O‟Regan consulted with the local curate and other priests
who knew Fr McNamee. The local curate was full of praise for Fr McNamee,
stating that he was a good priest and had a real interest in the boys of the
parish. One priest, however, accepted the allegations against Fr McNamee
and indicated that they confirmed an unproven suspicion he had in the past.
He recommended that Fr McNamee should be made to retire and that the
pool should be handed over to a parish organisation.
12.15
Monsignor O‟Regan elicited further disturbing information from the
priests he interviewed about Fr McNamee‟s activities.
He was told that Fr
McNamee had built an outdoor swimming pool himself in 1969 and later built
an indoor pool. Adults in general were excluded from using the pool and only
a small group of boys were selected to use it. The fact that only selected
boys were allowed use the pool was resented locally.
Fr McNamee spent
school break time holding the hands of young boys in the playground and he
took young boys for spins in his car. It had also been noted that he had a
total aversion and hostility towards all women.
12.16
Some five weeks after the mother‟s complaint, Monsignor O‟Regan
and Monsignor Curtin met Fr McNamee concerning the complaints.
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Fr
McNamee confirmed that he had built the swimming pool himself and
acknowledged that adults were excluded from using the pool. He stated that,
owing to space constraints, only six boys were permitted in the pool at any
one time.
He also indicated that, although not common practise, nude
bathing did occasionally occur and he did not see anything morally wrong with
this.
Fr McNamee communicated to Monsignor O‟Regan his desire to retire
12.17
from active ministry but the Monsignor encouraged him to stay for a further
six months in order to avoid any damage to his reputation.
12.18
Fr McNamee was allowed to remain in his job as parish priest until
May 1979. This was despite the fact that the Archdiocese was aware of
complaints made in 1960 and of similar types of complaints made in the
1970s.
When Archbishop Ryan went to Crumlin for the confirmation
ceremonies in May 1979, a former parish priest spoke to the Archbishop of
the increasing rumours and gossip about Fr McNamee, but the Archbishop
indicated to him that he should leave the matter rest and gave no indication of
what he planned to do.
12.19
A complainant gave evidence to the Commission which shows that, as
well as abusing boys in the swimming pool, Fr McNamee also abused in his
car. This complainant‟s evidence also illustrates the level of local knowledge
and rumours in Crumlin in the 1970s. This complainant told the Commission
that between the years 1972 and 1975, Fr McNamee would pick him up from
outside the local school. The witness was between the ages of seven and ten
at that time. The witness stated that whenever the older boys in the area saw
Fr McNamee, they either ran away or started throwing things and shouting
insults at Fr McNamee.
Apparently he was known as “Father smack my
53
gee” . The older boys, some of whom later told the witness that they had
been abused by Fr McNamee, did not tell their parents or the younger boys
what was going on at the time. As a result, Fr McNamee who, as the witness
recalled, drove a green Lancia Delta, picked up boys regularly in the car and
abused them.
53
Gee is Dublin slang for female genitalia.
180
12.20
The existence of a swimming pool in a garden in Crumlin in the 1960s
and 1970s must, inevitably, have been the subject of much local discussion.
Delgany, 1979
12.21
In June 1979, Fr McNamee‟s resignation from Crumlin was accepted
and in July 1979 he was appointed chaplain to the Carmelite monastery in
Delgany, Co Wicklow. The Carmelites were told that he was appointed there
for health reasons. Part of his duties in that job was to say mass every
morning. While saying mass, he was assisted by various local altar boys.
The evidence of a mother of one of the altar boys was that, in fine weather, Fr
McNamee would regularly bring a number of the boys to swim at Brittas Bay.
When she found out about Fr McNamee and his proclivities, she questioned
her son but he said the priest had behaved properly towards them. There
was no monitoring of his activities by the Archdiocese and, since the nuns
were not told anything of his background, they could not have been expected
to take on a monitoring role. The first the nuns knew about concerns relating
to Fr McNamee was in 2002, when they were approached by a reporter from
RTE who explained that they were investigating Fr McNamee‟s activities
while he was in Crumlin and requesting the nuns‟ state of knowledge when he
came to stay with them.
1994 – 1995 Complaints
12.22
In 1994, a report was received from a young man that he had been
abused by Fr McNamee while in Crumlin parish. This young man did not
name Fr McNamee but Monsignor Stenson immediately deduced that it was
likely to be Fr McNamee.
Archbishop Connell instituted a preliminary
investigation in November 1994.
In the same year, Monsignor Stenson
received reports that Fr McNamee was driving around with young children in
his car in the Wicklow area, a fact that was independently confirmed by the
mother of an altar boy.
Having consulted with Dr Patrick Walsh of the
Granada Institute, who had seen the files on Fr McNamee, it was decided that
Bishop Donal Murray would speak to Fr McNamee about his behavioural
difficulties relating to children in order to assess how he had been dealing
with these problems.
Bishop Murray‟s purpose would be to inform Fr
McNamee that the Archdiocese wished to ensure that there was no
“unfinished business”, particularly at this time.
(The Fr Brendan Smyth
controversy was raging at the time – see Chapter 7). Bishop Murray told the
181
Commission that he was unaware of the 1994 complaint to Monsignor
Stenson.
12.23
At this stage Fr McNamee was 77 years of age. Bishop Murray called
to see him shortly before Christmas 1994. He inquired with the superior as to
Fr McNamee‟s health and general well-being. He failed to mention to the
superior the real purpose of his visit and the concerns which the Archdiocese
had in regard to Fr McNamee and his behaviour with young people.
12.24
Bishop Murray then saw Fr McNamee and, in the course of a general
conversation, asked whether he had any concerns about the recent scandals
relating to child sexual abuse.
Fr McNamee claimed that he was not
personally affected. The bishop said that there had been some things
suggested about him in this area in the past but Fr McNamee replied that this
was: “just talk, talk, talk. There is a kind of conspiracy going on: people
seeing evil where there is none. A lot of what is been [sic] said is evil and
mischievous. The people who make false allegations are themselves evil”.
12.25
Bishop Murray accepted Fr McNamee‟s denials that he had young
people in the car. This was the extent of his inquiries. The bishop did think
that there was some unresolved anger and some denial about the earlier
situation, of which Bishop Murray said he had no detailed knowledge.
According to Bishop Murray, Archbishop Connell also visited Fr McNamee in
December 1994. Archbishop Connell did not inform the nuns about the child
sexual abuse concerns even though he had initiated a preliminary
investigation into a recent complaint.
12.26
In March 1995, another complainant made an allegation to the Gardaí.
This related to the years 1973 – 1975 and concerned nude bathing in the
Crumlin swimming pool and handling of the genitalia while drying the young
boy off after swimming.
Garda investigation, 1995
12.27
The garda who took the man‟s statement at the central detective unit
on 1 March prepared a letter on 21 March requesting that the matter be
investigated by “G” division, that is, Crumlin, where the offences had
occurred. Unfortunately, Crumlin did not receive the file until 7 July, nearly
182
four months after the complaint was made. There is no explanation on the file
for this delay. Once Crumlin received the file, matters were moved along
swiftly.
On 10 July 1995, the Gardaí contacted Archbishop‟s House and
Monsignor Stenson gave them Fr McNamee‟s address. Monsignor Stenson
immediately contacted Fr McNamee to advise him that a garda investigation
was under way and that he should get legal representation. Fr McNamee
was interviewed on 14 July in the presence of his solicitor. He made no
response to the allegations at that time but in a subsequent statement
delivered on 15 August he categorically denied them.
12.28
The file was then sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),
who because of the delay between the abuse and the complaint, declined to
prosecute.
The abuse had occurred between 1973 and 1975 and the
complaint was made in 1995.
12.29
The complainant subsequently issued civil proceedings and three
years later the priest personally made a substantial settlement with the young
man in question.
12.30
Fr McNamee‟s name was one of the names given to the Gardaí by
Monsignor Stenson in November 1995 when he handed over the names of 17
priests about whom the Archdiocese had received complaints.
Also in
November 1995, Archbishop Connell wrote to Fr McNamee relieving him of
his duties as chaplain to the Carmelite Sisters.
1995 - 2001
12.31
Fr McNamee was accommodated in a nursing home in Co Meath. He
was opposed to any assessment being done on him by any medical advisor
and was also opposed to the nursing home being informed of any past
allegations. He himself did inform the nursing home sometime in late 1995 of
the allegations. Early the following year, the man who had complained to the
Archdiocese in 1994 made a formal statement to Monsignor Stenson. The
reporting procedures of the Archdiocese had changed in the previous year
and accordingly Monsignor Stenson informed the Gardaí immediately. Some
two months later, the Gardaí informed the Archdiocese that no formal
complaint had been made by the man. No further action was taken in relation
to this matter. It is perhaps surprising that the Gardaí did not consider it
183
necessary to make further inquiries, especially in view of the fact that they
were aware of previous complaints.
12.32
In March 1997, the case of Fr McNamee was referred to the advisory
panel (see Chapter 7). The panel was informed of all the allegations received
to date.
12.33
In April and May 1997, two further allegations were made. One was
made anonymously and the other was made by a man who at the time was
suffering from a psychiatric illness.
12.34
Having examined the case, the view of the advisory panel was that
there was enough substance in the allegations to create a strong suspicion
that they might be true.
12.35
They recommended that a canonical precept (an order from the
Archbishop restricting Fr McNamee‟s ministry) be put in place. In August
1997, the canonical precept was put in place restricting Fr McNamee to
celebration of mass at the retirement home in Meath only, forbidding him from
visiting his past parishes and forbidding him having any contact with children
on his own.
12.36
In 2001, another civil legal action was initiated against Fr McNamee
and the Archdiocese. Fr McNamee died in September 2002, just before a
number of media reports surfaced regarding allegations of child sexual abuse
against him.
Media reports
12.37
In October 2002, following the Prime Time programme Cardinal
Secrets, the young man who had settled his case with Fr McNamee in 1998
went on the RTE radio programme Liveline and spoke about his abuse by Fr
McNamee. By the end of October, at least eight men had made complaints of
abuse using the garda hotline. The alleged abuses dated back to the 1950s.
Many included allegations of requiring the boys to swim naked, under the
guise of teaching them how to swim, and then touching them inappropriately.
Other allegations related to him drying the boys off after swimming, placing
them naked on his knee and once again touching their genitalia or digitally
penetrating them.
184
12.38
It should be said that despite Fr McNamee carrying on the type of
behaviour which had characterised his time in Crumlin, there are no
allegations of child sexual abuse arising from the 16 years he spent in
Delgany. When the Carmelite nuns were informed of the allegations against
Fr McNamee by an RTE reporter in 2002, the superior made inquiries from a
former altar boy as to whether he had any knowledge of impropriety on the
part of Fr McNamee and was informed that he did not.
12.39
In addition to the complainants mentioned above, 21 men have come
forward claiming abuse by Fr McNamee during his many appointments. The
Commission is of the view that many more were abused.
A significant
number of complainants are claiming civil damages. To date, a number of
cases have been settled and at the time of writing this report a further three
are outstanding.
12.40
Those complainants who met archdiocesan officials in recent times,
including Archbishop Martin, were satisfied with how the Archdiocese dealt
with their complaints. Many were relieved to hear from the Archbishop that
they were not alone in their complaints, and victims also expressed gratitude
for counselling when it was arranged for them.
12.41
Some expressed sadness at the fact that they had not reported
matters earlier to the Church, particularly when the priest was alive, as they
thought that might have prevented abuse of others.
The Commission’s assessment
12.42
Overall, the case is an example of how, throughout the 1970s, the
Church authorities were much more concerned with the scandal that would be
created by revealing Fr McNamee‟s abuse rather than any concern for the
abused.
12.43
Archbishop McQuaid‟s view, in the early 1960s, that he could not
refuse to accept the denials of such a worthy priest was sadly misguided. If
action had been taken then, the abuse of a large number of boys could have
been prevented. It is quite clear from Bishop Forristal‟s recollections and
from the interview that Monsignor O‟Regan conducted with Fr McNamee‟s
colleagues that, in the 1970s, there was significant knowledge of the type of
185
activities that Fr McNamee was up to with children in his own swimming pool
and elsewhere. However, even though he knew there was a problem, the
Archbishop did not take any action.
12.44
When a specific complaint was made in 1978, Monsignor O‟Regan
carried out a thorough investigation and came to the clear conclusion that Fr
McNamee was a danger to children. Yet again, the emphasis was on the
avoidance of scandal and the protection of the priest‟s reputation rather than
the protection of children. It is particularly shocking that Fr McNamee was
encouraged to stay on in the parish in order to avoid any damage to his
reputation. The very idea that a priest should have a private swimming pool
to which only young boys had access, even in the mid to late 1970s, coupled
with his other actions should have caused the archdiocesan authorities to
take action far earlier than they did.
12.45
While Monsignor O‟Regan did state that perhaps further damage to
innocent children might be avoided, not once did he or indeed any of the
archdiocesan authorities consider the enormous damage that might already
have been done to innocent children.
12.46
Archbishop Ryan, when he discovered that there had been many
incidents in the swimming pool with Fr McNamee, should have taken
immediate action. The fact that the archives contained a report about similar
type activities relating to boys attending Stella Maris football club, albeit not
believed at the time, should have given rise to the reopening of that
investigation and to an investigation of his activities in the intervening years.
12.47
The fact that he allowed Fr McNamee to stay in Crumlin for a further
15 months was wrong. This wrong was compounded by his transfer to a
convent where again he was given access to young altar boys.
12.48
The failure to inform the nuns that the reason for his transfer to their
convent was because of concerns about his activities in Crumlin was
inexplicable and left them in a very difficult situation when they were
questioned by RTE many years later.
No attempt was made to monitor his
activities while he was associated with the convent and the nuns knew of no
reason for monitoring.
186
12.49
Bishop Murray and Archbishop Connell must accept responsibility for
not communicating fully with the nuns in Co Wicklow.
When complaints
surfaced in the 1990s about Fr McNamee, Bishop Murray visited the convent
but did not explain fully the circumstances surrounding Fr McNamee‟s
placement there.
He claims he was not fully informed about the details.
However it was clear from his memo of the meeting that he was aware that
there was an allegation of child sexual abuse made against Fr McNamee in
the late 1970s. It seems incredible to the Commission that, when he was
asked in December 1994 to talk to Fr McNamee about behavioural difficulties
with children, he was not informed that Archbishop Connell had issued a
decree initiating a preliminary investigation into the 1994 allegation on 28
November.
Once again this highlights the very poor communication that
existed within the Archdiocese.
Bishop Murray has pointed out to the
Commission that Archbishop Connell visited Delgany on 11 December and
did not inform the nuns about Fr McNamee‟s background. This was despite
the fact that he had launched a preliminary investigation into a complaint of
child sexual abuse against him less than two weeks previously.
In the
Commission‟s view neither the bishop nor the Archbishop seemed to have
given any consideration to the risk Fr McNamee might have posed to the altar
boys attending the convent. Both were aware of his abusive past and that no
monitoring system had been put in place in relation to him.
12.50
Nearly all the complainants who reported to the Gardaí were happy
with the way the Gardaí dealt with the complaints. As many of the complaints
arose after the death of Fr McNamee there was no possibility of a
prosecution. Nevertheless the complainants reported that the Gardaí had
listened sympathetically to them.
The Gardaí also took full and
comprehensive statements from them.
12.51
The development of the DPP‟s approach to cases involving delay is
outlined in Chapter 5.
187
Fr Edmondus*54
Chapter 13
Introduction
13.1
Marie Collins, one of the many people abused by Fr Edmondus, and
who was severely affected by the abuse, stated in the documents submitted
by her to the Commission:
“Father [Edmondus] betrayed the trust invested in him by his religious
superiors.
He betrayed the trust of the hospital authorities.
betrayed my parents‟ trust.
All had given me into his care.
He
He
betrayed my trust and my innocence. He abused his power and used
my respect for his religious position to abuse and degrade me - a child
- not just a child but a sick child. How much lower than that can you
sink?
A man like that deserves our prayers but not our
protection”. (Emphasis in original)
13.2
The Fr Edmondus case is being dealt with by the Commission
because it involves a priest who committed a number of sexual assaults on
young patients aged between eight and 11 years in Our Lady‟s Hospital for
Sick Children, Crumlin in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sixteen years later,
when he was based in Co Wicklow, he committed a sexual assault on a nineyear-old child.
13.3
The case also falls to be considered by the Commission because, in
the 1990s, suspicions about his behaviour while he was a curate in a North
Dublin parish were brought to the attention of the Archdiocese.
13.4
Fr Edmondus was born in 1931 and ordained in 1957.
He was
chaplain to Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children from 1958 to 1960. He
subsequently held a number of appointments in the Archdiocese.
faculties were withdrawn in 1997.
His
In that same year, he was convicted of
indecent assault against two girls and served a term of nine months
imprisonment. He remains a priest but is prohibited from exercising ministry
and is not allowed to wear clerical garb. He currently lives in Dublin.
54
This is a pseudonym.
188
Complaint, 1960
13.5
In August 1960, Archbishop McQuaid was informed that a security
officer at a photographic film company in the UK had referred colour film, sent
to them for developing by Fr Edmondus, to Scotland Yard. Scotland Yard
referred the matter to the Commissioner of the Gardaí. There is no evidence
of any Garda investigation.
However Garda Commissioner Costigan met
Archbishop McQuaid and, according to Archbishop McQuaid‟s note of the
meeting, told him that the photographic company had “handed to Scotland
Yard a colour film with label Rev. [Edmondus], Childrens Hospital, Crumlin,
Dublin, of which 26 transparencies were of the private parts of two small girls,
aged 10 or 11 years”. The Garda Commissioner asked Archbishop McQuaid
to take over the case because a priest was in question and the Gardaí “could
prove nothing”. The Commissioner told Archbishop McQuaid that he would
do nothing further. No attempt seems to have been made to establish who
the two girls in the photographs were. The Commission would like to point out
that neither the Dublin Archdiocese nor the Gardaí made discovery of the
colour film so the Commission is not in a position to say what happened to it.
13.6
Archbishop McQuaid immediately referred the case to his auxiliary
bishop, Bishop Dunne.
It is clear that the Archbishop was using the
procedures outlined in the 1922 instruction (see Chapter 4). Bishop Dunne
expressed the view that a crimen pessimum (the worst crime, which includes
child sexual abuse) had been committed.
13.7
The next day, Archbishop McQuaid met Fr Edmondus who admitted
photographing the children in sexual postures alone and in groups.
photographs were taken in Crumlin hospital.
These
The Archbishop recorded as
follows:
“The children were playing about, lifting their clothes. He rebuked
them. Seeing this was a chance of discovering what the genitals were
like, he pretended there was no film in the camera he was carrying
and photographed them in sexual postures, alone and seated
together, chiefly in a way or posture that opened up the parts. He
declared that he had done so, as one would take an art photo., seeing
no grave sin at all and suffering no physical disturbance in himself. He
was puzzled, though he had seen line drawings, as to structure and
functions of female. In questioning, I discovered that he had been
189
reared with brothers,55 had never moved about socially with girls and
tended to avoid them as in the hospital with the nurses. I suggested I
would get [a doctor] a good Catholic to instruct him and thus end his
wonderment.”
Archbishop McQuaid also recorded: “I felt that he clearly understood the
nature of the sinful act involved and to send him on retreat would defame
him”.
13.8
Archbishop McQuaid and Bishop Dunne then agreed that there was
not an objective and subjective crime of the type envisaged in the 1922
instruction and consequently that there was no need to refer the matter to the
Holy Office in Rome.
13.9
Later, Fr Edmondus saw the doctor on three occasions. There is no
report from the doctor on the Church files.
13.10
While Archbishop McQuaid investigated the matter promptly, he
limited his activity to dealing with the priest‟s problem. He does not seem to
have made any effort to establish who the children involved were, nor did he
contact Crumlin hospital nor did he put in place any protocols for future
chaplains to the children in that hospital. In view of the fact that he was
chairman of the board of directors of the hospital, this was a particular
omission. At this stage, Fr Edmondus was no longer the chaplain to the
hospital.
This failure to contact the hospital or put any protocol in place
meant that, when Fr Ivan Payne (see Chapter 24) became chaplain to the
same hospital, the hospital had no knowledge of previous wrongdoing by a
chaplain. Archbishop Martin, on behalf of the Archdiocese, has suggested to
the Commission that what Archbishop McQuaid was trying to establish was
whether the subjective and objective elements of a canonical crime had been
committed and that he found that no crime had been committed.
13.11
Given that these photographs were taken by deception, when a nurse
was absent, given the nature of the photographs and the fact that the film was
sent to the UK for development, any reasonable person would imply mens rea
55
In fact, Fr Edmondus had a sister so either he was clearly not telling the whole truth to the
Archbishop or the Archbishop chose to ignore it.
190
or criminal intent from the circumstances. The conclusion of the Archbishop
and Bishop Dunne that this was not an objective and subjective crime within
the meaning of canon law is, in the Commission‟s view, unreasonable and
contrary to common sense now and in 1960.
It is totally at variance with
Bishop Dunne‟s original opinion as recorded by Archbishop McQuaid a few
days earlier. The Commission believes that Archbishop McQuaid acted as he
did to avoid scandal in both Ireland and Rome and without regard to the
protection of children in Crumlin hospital. Archbishop Martin accepts that the
conclusion reached by Archbishop McQuaid and Bishop Dunne was wrong
and that the measures taken were inadequate but he does not agree with the
Commission‟s conclusion that Archbishop McQuaid acted the way he did to
avoid scandal both here and in Rome.
Reporting of abuse, 1985
13.12
Marie Collins, who was one of a number of young people sexually
abused by Fr Edmondus at Crumlin hospital, approached her local curate, Fr
Eddie Griffin, in November 1985 and told him about her abuse. She had
been sexually abused and photographed by Fr Edmondus in Crumlin hospital
in 1960 when she was aged 13. The curate indicated to her that he did not
want to know the name of her abuser as he would have to do something
about it. According to a statement which he gave to the Gardaí in 2004, he
said that he explained to Mrs Collins that “I didn‟t want to know the name of
the priest. If she told me the name of the priest I had to do something about
it”. He went on to say in his Garda statement:
“We as priests had been advised while in college not to seek the name
of priests that allegations were being made against. Marie Collins
didn't tell me that name of the priest. I told her not to feel any guilt
about what had happened and that the priest had done wrong and if
she had guilt I could give her absolution."
Despite having told Mrs Collins he did not wish to know the name of the
priest, he went on to say in his garda statement “when she didn‟t tell me his
name I wondered why she was there and thought she might be feeling guilty
and I told her I could do away with her guilt by giving her absolution”.
13.13
Although Fr Griffin contends that he was approaching the matter in a
„pastoral‟ manner which would not require him to seek the identity of the
priest, the fact is that a criminal offence was disclosed to him and his
191
response was, in the Commission‟s view, inadequate. It was to be another
ten years before Mrs Collins plucked up the courage to report the matter to
Archbishop‟s House.
Suspicions, 1993
13.14
In 1993, while Fr Edmondus was a curate in Edenmore in north
Dublin, a complaint was made by a parishioner regarding his contact with
young children. This complaint, which appears to have come initially from
youth workers, was made to a local priest who reported it to Bishop James
Moriarty, who was the auxiliary bishop for that area.
Bishop Moriarty
summarised the reported inappropriate behaviour of Fr Edmondus as follows:
young girls driving around in his car and allegations that the
girls had sometimes changed in his house before going
swimming;
giving young children money;
group of youngsters who were very poor attenders at school
spending time with him;
no adults allowed into his house; the only people allowed in
were the very old or young.
13.15
Bishop Moriarty discussed the problem with the local priests and with
Archbishop Connell. He then warned Fr Edmondus about his behaviour and
advised him to desist from the activities mentioned. After this, the parish
priest noted a change in his behaviour but others felt he still surrounded
himself with children quite a bit. No attempt was made by the archdiocesan
authorities to check the archives or other files relating to Fr Edmondus when
these complaints were received.
Bishop Moriarty pointed out to the
Commission that he did not have access to the archives but he could have
asked the Archbishop to conduct such a search.
Information was also
received about Fr Edmondus recording the children‟s voices and he himself
admitted to photographing them.
Letters of complaint from Marie Collins, 1995
13.16
In October 1995, Marie Collins wrote to Archbishop Connell regarding
her abuse by Fr Edmondus. She also told him of her attempts to tell her local
curate about the abuse. Around the same time she wrote a letter of complaint
192
to Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin and offered to talk to a
secretary/manager about the abuse.
13.17
A few days after her complaint to Archbishop Connell, he initiated a
preliminary investigation under canon 1717 and appointed Monsignor Alex
Stenson as the delegate. By this time, October 1995, the Church authorities
were familiar with many aspects of clerical child abuse. Not only was work on
the Framework Document (see Chapter 7) well advanced but several Church
personnel had travelled to dioceses in the USA to learn from their
experiences. In addition there had been the fall out of the Fr Brendan Smyth
case (see Chapter 7) and the Archdiocese itself had received a significant
number of complaints of child sexual abuse by priests of the Archdiocese.
13.18
In October 1995, following receipt of Mrs Collins‟s complaint, a trawl
was done in the secret archives and the 1960 complaint became known to
Archbishop Connell and Monsignor Stenson.
Monsignor Stenson, though
chancellor of the Archdiocese since 1981, only became aware of the 1993
Edenmore concerns in the course of his investigation. Cardinal Connell told
the Commission that he referred all complaints of sexual abuse to the
chancellor.
He did not feel it necessary to refer the concerns about
inappropriate behaviour on the part of Fr Edmondus to Monsignor Stenson.
Evidence of Mrs Collins and Fr Norman
13.19
Both Mrs Collins and her support priest, Fr James Norman, gave
extensive evidence to the Commission. Her evidence related not only to her
complaint against Fr Edmondus but also covered steps taken by her and
others to get support services for victims of clerical sex abuse.
13.20
Her evidence was very helpful to the Commission in understanding
how the Framework Document was being implemented. It was also helpful in
attempting to assess the attitude of Church officials to cases in which they
accepted that abuse had taken place.
13.21
Mrs Collins was extremely unhappy with the way her complaint was
dealt with by the Church authorities.
In addition to writing to Archbishop
Connell in October 1995, she had also written to Bishop Forristal (the chair of
the committee drafting the Framework Document), Crumlin hospital and the
193
local priest to whom she had earlier complained, to let them know that she
was making a complaint to the Archdiocese.
personally and sympathetically.
Bishop Forristal replied
The hospital authorities responded
immediately and arranged to meet her. She found them very sympathetic.
They offered counselling and told her that they would be reporting the matter
to the Gardaí, which they did.
13.22
Archbishop Connell passed the letter from Mrs Collins to Monsignor
Stenson and did not reply directly himself. The local priest did not reply at all.
Monsignor Stenson replied, apologised on behalf of Archbishop Connell and
made arrangements to meet Mrs Collins.
Monsignor Stenson’s meeting with Mrs Collins
13.23
Monsignor Stenson met Mrs Collins in October 1995. He indicated
that he would have to notify the Gardaí in relation to her complaints. He
noted in the memorandum of their meeting that she had met a representative
from Crumlin hospital who had also indicated that the Gardaí would be
notified.
13.24
Mrs
Collins
felt
that
Monsignor
Stenson
had
listened
very
sympathetically to her and indeed acknowledged this in a letter to him
subsequently. It is very clear that Monsignor Stenson believed Mrs Collins.
However, he did not tell her that there were other incidents and concerns in
respect of Fr Edmondus‟s time at Crumlin hospital and she was very annoyed
about this when she subsequently discovered it.
Cardinal Connell has told
the Commission that there was no legal obligation on him or the Archdiocese
to inform Mrs Collins of other incidents or concerns. While this is true, the
Commission believes that Mrs Collins was justified in her annoyance at not
being told of the 1960 incidents at her first meeting with Monsignor Stenson.
The Commission is aware that Monsignor Stenson told the Gardaí of the
1960 incidents in November 1995 but waited until March 1996 to tell Mrs
Collins.
Monsignor Stenson has told the Commission that he did not regard
himself as free to tell Mrs Collins about the Crumlin incidents.
He was
constrained by the oath of secrecy which he took when he became chancellor
and he could not reveal that information without the consent of Archbishop
Connell. He said he made the November 1995 statement to the Gardaí with
the permission of Archbishop Connell.
194
He said the same oath of secrecy
prevented him from making a further statement to the Gardaí about his
preliminary investigation of the Fr Edmondus case.
13.25
As was his practice, Monsignor Stenson made a comprehensive note
of the meeting.
The note revealed Mrs Collins to have been severely
psychologically damaged by the abuse. Except for her revelation to her local
curate in 1985, which unfortunately succeeded only in exacerbating the
trauma she suffered, it had taken her almost 35 years to summon up the
courage to approach the Church authorities and discuss in detail her abuse
by Fr Edmondus. She also expressed worry that other children might have
been abused by him and wanted reassurance that he was not left in a
position to abuse children.
Monsignor Stenson’s meeting with Fr Edmondus
13.26
Shortly after meeting Mrs Collins, Monsignor Stenson met Fr
Edmondus. Monsignor Stenson told him that the Gardaí had been in contact
and wanted to meet him in relation to the complaint of Mrs Collins. Monsignor
Stenson outlined the complaint and Fr Edmondus replied “I cannot place the
girl” but he accepted that inappropriate touching could have happened.
He
was clear that it was a separate allegation from the matters that had been
reported to Archbishop McQuaid in 1960. He accepted that a Christmas card
which Mrs Collins claimed he had sent her bore his signature. Mrs Collins
had given the Christmas card to Monsignor Stenson. Fr Edmondus said that
he had no problem with little boys but, “if he had a problem, it was with little
girls”. He told Monsignor Stenson that the meeting with Archbishop McQuaid
had scared him and had made him very careful.
13.27
Fr Edmondus said that he would have no problem making an apology
to Mrs Collins and claimed that nothing of this nature had ever happened in
any of his subsequent appointments.
13.28
In November 1995, Monsignor Stenson provided the Gardaí with an
address for Fr Edmondus and gave them some information about the 1960
complaint.
195
Medical assessment
13.29
Fr Edmondus was referred for an assessment to the Granada
Institute. A December 1995 report from Granada recommended that he “be
removed from ministry as it is presently constituted” even though Fr
Edmondus had said that he had very little exposure to children.
This
assessment was based on “the escalatory nature of the alleged abuse… the
alleged abusive pattern started with what appeared to be good natured
innocent fun but was then followed by more sinister demands on the child”.
Garda investigation
13.30
In January 1996 a garda report on the complaint by Mrs Collins
concluded: “Unfortunately while I would be of the opinion that the events as
described by Marie did happen, there is very little evidence available to us to
corroborate her allegations apart from Monsignor Stenson‟s statement about
the slides. It would be for this reason as well as the considerable time delay
in this case that I feel a prosecution against Fr [Edmondus] would be
fruitless”.
13.31
This view was shared by the investigating garda, the sergeant, the
detective inspector and the detective superintendent. The file was forwarded
to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Further meeting with Monsignor Stenson, 1996
13.32
In March 1996, Mrs Collins met Monsignor Stenson again. Mrs Collins
was anxious to know whether or not Fr Edmondus had admitted to the
allegation which she had made. Monsignor Stenson confirmed that he had.
In fact, what Fr Edmondus had said could not be regarded as a clear
admission. Monsignor Stenson informed Mrs Collins that Fr Edmondus was
not in a parish, was living in a religious house and was receiving therapy.
Monsignor Stenson also noted in his record of their meeting that he was
“satisfied that she is not out to make difficulties for Fr [Edmondus] or indeed
for the Church”.
13.33
Mrs Collins said that at this meeting, Monsignor Stenson indicated that
following treatment Fr Edmondus might be returned to a parish.
In a
subsequent letter, she told Monsignor Stenson that this should not happen.
She was also extremely concerned that Monsignor Stenson had not told her
196
earlier that Fr Edmondus had admitted her abuse. She said she should not
have been left waiting for five months to find out.
13.34
Fr Edmondus was in fact, contrary to assurances given to Mrs Collins,
still a curate in Edenmore and was not immediately removed from ministry.
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that
“In the case of [Edmondus] I did not remove him from his parish
immediately. I told him he was not to live there and he wasn‟t to
minister there. In that sense I took him out of his parish. I left him
officially in his position. This gave rise to a lot of trouble from one of
the victims there. But the reason I did that of course was because
there had been nothing against [Edmondus] for something like 30
years, and it seemed to me a bit too harsh. I did, in the interest of
children, I did instruct him not to live there and he was not to minister
there”.
The „trouble from one of the victims‟ to which the Cardinal referred relates to
Mrs Collins‟s campaign to have Fr Edmondus removed from ministry.
It
should also be noted that it is not correct to say that there had been nothing
against Fr Edmondus for 30 years; there had been the concerns expressed in
1993.
13.35
Despite the Archbishop‟s instructions, Fr Edmondus continued to visit
the parish frequently and dressed in clerical attire for a number of months.
His name remained on the confessional box for a number of months.
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he admonished Fr Edmondus for
attending at the parish and not obeying his instructions. The Commission
could find no evidence of any monitoring of his activities. His faculties were
not formally withdrawn by Archbishop Connell until January 1997. His name
remained in the Dublin Diocesan Guidebook56 and he was described as a
curate in Edenmore throughout 1996 and 1997.
A new complaint, 1996
13.36
In March 1996, a notification was sent from the Eastern Health Board
to the local garda superintendent regarding the alleged sexual abuse by Fr
56
This is published annually by the Archdiocese and includes, among other things, the names of
the priests serving in the various parishes and other services of the Archdiocese.
197
Edmondus of a woman in a Co Wicklow parish when she was a nine year old
child. This complainant did not complain to the Archdiocese at this time.
13.37
The Gardaí carried out a thorough investigation of her complaints.
They took statements from people whom the woman claimed she had told
about the abuse many years previously. Fr Edmondus was interviewed about
the allegations and he gave the standard reply that, on the advice of his
solicitor, he had nothing to say.
13.38
The Gardaí then looked afresh at the Marie Collins case. She had
contacted them further about her case. They felt a number of matters would
have to be further investigated:
the question of identification of Fr Edmondus as the person
who allegedly assaulted Marie Collins in 1960;
the question of establishing what was contained in the record
of the 1960 complaint;
re-interviewing Marie Collins regarding the reference in her
statement to slides having been processed in the UK;
putting the claim to Monsignor Stenson that Fr Edmondus
admitted the offence to him.
13.39
The Gardaí met Monsignor Stenson in May 1996. They asked him for
a copy of the Fr Edmondus file or at least for an opportunity to look at it. He
refused stating he would need legal advice first. He said that canon law did
not permit him to give permission for the file to be read.
13.40
Monsignor Stenson was also asked about the claim that Fr Edmondus
had admitted the offence to him and a letter he wrote to Mrs Collins was
shown to him. Monsignor Stenson expressed dismay on seeing the letter,
saying that he would not have written that had he known that she would be
handing over the letter to the Gardaí.
13.41
Despite having told Mrs Collins that Fr Edmondus had admitted to her
abuse Monsignor Stenson refused to make a statement to that effect to the
Gardaí.
198
13.42
In June 1996, Mrs Collins wrote to Archbishop Connell asking him to
inform all the parishes in which Fr Edmondus had served that he had
admitted child sexual abuse.
Nothing was done about this until after his
conviction.
Edenmore concerns
13.43
In October 1996, Monsignor Stenson spoke to the priest to whom the
original concerns about children in Edenmore had been expressed and which
were reported to Bishop Moriarty in 1993. This priest told Monsignor Stenson
that Fr Edmondus had an extensive involvement with children and he had a
“disastrous” relationship with adults and his fellow priests.
13.44
Monsignor Stenson then interviewed Fr Edmondus about his
involvement with these children. Fr Edmondus told him that children aged ten
to 12 used to change in his house. He said he did take photographs of them
but there was nothing questionable in them.
He said that there was
absolutely no snooping or touching whatsoever. He said he stopped allowing
them to change in his house after Bishop Moriarty spoke to him. It appears
that Monsignor Stenson did not ask Fr Edmondus for the photographs.
Health board involvement, 1996
13.45
In November 1996 a meeting between health board officials and
Monsignor Stenson took place in Archbishop‟s House.
The health board
memo notes:
“the meeting was convened by Monsignor Stenson to convey to us
concerns he had about children in the Edenmore Parish. Monsignor
Stenson did not have hard information on these children, but he
wished to share his concerns with us. These concerns centred around
possible inappropriate behaviour on behalf of a priest Fr [Edmondus],
who used to bring young girls from the Edenmore parish swimming.
These girls used to change for swimming in his house and he then
brought them swimming…No allegations of any inappropriate
behaviour were ever made by these girls or their parents”.
These events are said to have happened in the year 1990.
199
A number of girls were identified and the health board‟s note stated
13.46
that: “given the vague nature of this referral, it was agreed that the Eastern
Health Board would approach the parents of the girls and make discreet
enquiries given the present climate”. However in December 1996 the senior
social worker informed Monsignor Stenson that the Eastern Health Board was
not able to follow up because of the vagueness of the addresses provided.
The girls‟ names were known but their precise addresses were not.
Advisory panel
13.47
In December 1996, the case of Fr Edmondus was referred to the
advisory panel. The panel recommended the following:
His faculties should be withdrawn.
All priests who served with him should be sounded out in relation to his
past behaviour.
The Archbishop should meet Marie Collins and offer a support person.
The correct addresses for the children in Edenmore were to be sent to the
health board when they became available; there should be a further
meeting with the health board in January 1997 to discuss communication
of information policy between the Archdiocese and the health board.
Meeting with Archbishop
13.48
In December 1996, Archbishop Connell met Mrs Collins and her
support priest, Fr James Norman. Mrs Collins had approached this priest
herself and he generously and selflessly agreed to assist her without seeking
prior approval from the Archbishop and notwithstanding the fact that such
assistance might put him in conflict with his diocese. When he first began to
assist her he was not aware that the Framework Document provided for the
assignment of support priests to those who had been abused. Eventually, in
November 1996, he was formally appointed to that role in respect of Mrs
Collins.
13.49
During this meeting, Archbishop Connell apologised to Mrs Collins for
the hurt caused to her. In addition to giving evidence about that meeting, Fr
Norman kept a note of it:
“During the meeting Marie raised a letter she sent to the Archbishop
on the 4th of June [1996] concerning [Edmondus‟s] future. The
200
Archbishop failed to give an explanation of why he did not reply to this
letter except to say that it had raised very difficult questions.
When Marie asked the Archbishop why he had not given a statement
to the Gardai confirming that there was another case on file from the
1960s the Archbishop replied that it would undermine people‟s
confidence in the Church if they thought that files were being passed
to the Gardai, i.e. annulment cases. He also said that the previous
case was not serious as it only involved the taking of photographs.
Marie outlined in detail how having that type of photograph taken had
hurt and damaged her. The Archbishop was very shocked and upset
by the story Marie told him […] One of the matters that upset Marie
most was the statement by Cardinal Connell that the Framework
document was not binding in canon or civil law57 and that therefore he
could follow what parts of it he wanted to follow. He claimed the
Cardinal told her he had to protect the good name of the priest who
had abused her”.
The overall conclusion that Fr Norman reached regarding that meeting was
that the Archbishop came across as someone who really cared for the victim
but had not “got a clue” about how to go about dealing with the reality of the
problem.
13.50
In January 1997, Fr Edmondus‟s faculties were withdrawn and he was
formally released from the parish. He became a beneficiary of the Diocesan
Clerical Fund (see Chapter 8).
13.51
In the meantime Monsignor Stenson was making further inquiries in
the parishes where Fr Edmondus had served. He met the two youth workers
who had brought their concerns about the activities of Fr Edmondus in
Edenmore to the attention of the local priest in 1993. This priest did report to
Bishop Moriarty as described above. The youth workers described children
saying how “everyone knew about” Fr Edmondus; he hugged children and
gave them money. The youth workers felt that the local priest had been
dismissive of them when they went back to him. He had said to them that he
57
This is an accurate statement (see Chapter 7).
201
had done something and there was nothing more he could do. Monsignor
Stenson reported this to the health board in February 1997.
13.52
Mrs Collins continued to write to the Archbishop and Monsignor
Stenson seeking to have other parishes informed of the activities of Fr
Edmondus. She was concerned about the possibility of other victims.
Criminal charges, 1997
13.53
In March 1997 Fr Edmondus was arrested and charged with offences
relating to the abuse of a child in a Co Wicklow parish and also the sexual
abuse of Mrs Collins. The advisory panel noted that “In the event that these
charges are proven the Panel recommends not only that a public statement
be made by the Diocese expressing its regret, but also that a proactive
programme be developed to alert the parishes in which [Fr Edmondus] had
previously worked”.
13.54
In June 1997, Fr Edmondus pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent
assault on Mrs Collins. Some days later he pleaded guilty to two counts of
indecent assault on the girl in the Co Wicklow parish. He was sentenced to 18
months imprisonment in respect of the assaults on Mrs Collins and nine
months imprisonment to run concurrently in respect of the Co Wicklow
assaults. In November 1997 the total sentence was reduced on appeal to
nine months.
Prior to the court case he had met Mrs Collins and he had
apologised to her and offered to make a financial contribution to her.
13.55
Following the conviction, in a statement to the media, Archbishop
Connell said that the abuse of a child is wrong and evil. He also said that the
diocese had been co-operating with the Gardaí. Fr Norman, Mrs Collins‟s
priest advisor, told Gardaí that Monsignor Stenson claimed that the diocese
never claimed it had co-operated fully, with the emphasis on the word „fully‟,
with the Gardaí.
13.56
There were further meetings between the Archdiocese and the health
board in respect of the Edenmore concerns but the relevant families were not
contacted by the health board even though the Archdiocese was given the
impression that they would be. A social worker explained to the Commission
that the health board could not go around the area making inquiries as to
202
whether or not a child had been abused. The Gardaí could do that but “the
health board has to be extraordinarily careful about invading people's privacy
and having as many facts as you can before you broach anything”. In effect it
appears that the health board felt unable to take action at the time it was first
reported to them. The social worker did contact the Gardaí involved in the
criminal cases and was assured that there were no complaints from this area.
13.57
In January 1998, Archbishop Connell explained to Mrs Collins the
procedures and factors to be taken into account by the Archdiocese when
deciding what should be done with a priest convicted of child abuse. He
explained that:
"as long as a priest who has offended remains incardinated in the
Diocese, even if removed from ministry, he can receive the
supervision and care which he will need to live a life free from further
offence. This supervision would involve conditions regarding residence
and life-style which would preclude the danger of relapses. In the case
of a priest who is dismissed from the clerical state, that care and
supervision is no longer possible".
13.58
Marie Collins replied, thanking Archbishop Connell for his letter and
commented that the problem was a great deal more involved than she had
first imagined. She stated that the letter had helped to ease her mind.
1998 - 2006
13.59
In May 1998, Fr Edmondus was released from prison. A letter from
the Archdiocese to the Granada Institute stated that: “The Archbishop has
given clear indication that he does not envisage a return to ministry in this
case, and so Fr [Edmondus] will be retired under monitored conditions". It is
clear that Fr Edmondus did not return to ministry but it is not clear precisely
what the monitored conditions were. He was attending the Granada Institute
and he was living with members of his family. According to the Granada
Institute, part of the monitored conditions were that he was to continue to
attend the Granada Institute on a quarterly basis for review, which he did.
13.60
In February 1999, the health board contacted the Archdiocese
regarding Fr Edmondus because it was closing old files. The chancellor,
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Monsignor Dolan and the social worker agreed that “there was very little to be
gained in our pursuit of the people in question".
13.61
In February 2001, the Would You Believe programme on RTE
television raised the issue of the handling of Mrs Collins‟s complaint and the
current arrangements for monitoring Fr Edmondus. Her priest advisor told the
Commission that the Archdiocese had been given every opportunity to have a
representative go on the programme but would not do so unless the
Archdiocese retained editorial control which was not given to it. It issued no
apology on the programme to Mrs Collins. This caused her further upset.
13.62
In June 2001, the Archdiocese asked the Granada Institute for a
report on Fr Edmondus. Granada reported that he was to receive therapeutic
review sessions. The report also stated that "[o]ccasionally he accompanies
his sister on shopping trips. He is very much aware of his need to stay away
from contact with children and he is meticulous in observing this". It is not at
all clear how Granada could have known this other than by accepting what
they were told by Fr Edmondus.
13.63
In July 2002, a health board social worker telephoned the Archdiocese
to inquire whether Prime Time had been in contact with the diocese regarding
a programme which was to focus on the activities of Fr Edmondus in
Edenmore. According to a note of the conversation made by the Archdiocese
at the time, the social worker told the Archdiocese that she had told Prime
Time that the health board had no contact other than conversations with the
diocese.
Again, according to the archdiocesan note, she also told the
Archdiocese that she "wanted to make sure that the Diocese and the Health
Board were singing from the same hymn sheet".
She confirmed to the
Archdiocese that nothing surfaced from the health board inquiries of that time
and nothing had come to their attention since.
inquiries were made at the earlier stage.
In fact, no health board
The social worker concerned
emphatically denied, in an affidavit supplied to the Commission, that she had
ever used the words quoted. She said the health board file shows that it was
intended that she would contact the Archdiocese “to establish the state of
information given to Prime Time”.
13.64
At this stage, some five years after they had first been notified, and, it
appears to the Commission, solely because of the publicity engendered by
204
the Prime Time programme, the senior officials in the health board decided to
write to three girls from Edenmore – all of whom were now adults. One
replied and told the health board that she had not been abused. The others
did not reply. Again, the social worker has taken issue with the Commission‟s
view that the decision to write to the girls was motivated by the publicity. It
appears to the Commission that that decision was taken, not by the social
worker, but by the health board management.
13.65
It is notable that senior health board managers, including the chief
executive of the Northern Area Health Board, only became involved in dealing
with the issues in Edenmore after those issues were raised by Prime Time.
13.66
Similarly, after the Prime Time programme, the Gardaí made further
inquiries in Edenmore.
Subsequent complaints
13.67
Complaints in relation to Fr Edmondus continued to emerge.
Civil claims
13.68
After a considerable delay and much annoyance to her, Mrs Collins‟s
civil claim, which was principally related to medical expenses, was settled by
the Archdiocese. A settlement was also reached with the victim from Co
Wicklow.
Fr Edmondus made a personal contribution to the second
settlement.
The Commission’s assessment
The Archdiocese
13.69
This case was very badly handled by Archbishop McQuaid.
Archbishop McQuaid‟s conclusion that Fr Edmondus‟s actions arose merely
from a “wonderment” about the female anatomy is risible.
The Commission
considers there are two possible explanations for this stated view. Either
Archbishop McQuaid could not deal with the fact that a priest who was in a
privileged position of chaplain to a children‟s hospital fundamentally abused
that position and sexually exploited vulnerable young children awaiting
treatment or he needed an explanation which would deal with Bishop Dunne‟s
justifiable concern and which would also justify not reporting the matter to
205
Rome.
The Commission considers that the second explanation is the more
likely one.
13.70
This case has a special significance because it was one of the earliest
in the Commission‟s remit.
The apparent cancellation by Archbishop
McQuaid of his original plan to pursue the priest through the procedures of
canon law was a disaster. It established a pattern of not holding abusers
accountable which lasted for decades. Firmer treatment of this priest might
have avoided much abuse in the future. The Archbishop and Bishop Dunne
had no doubt that a serious crime had been committed but avoided taking any
action as that would have involved Rome becoming involved in the case. The
Archbishop appointed Bishop Dunne to investigate the case and, in the
Commission‟s view, promptly undermined him in his position.
13.71
In the Commission‟s view, Archbishop McQuaid‟s actions fell very
short of what should have been done. Given that he was fully aware of the
1922 instruction, there was no justification for his failure to set up a proper
canonical process to deal with the matter. In fact, he deliberately manipulated
the situation in a manner that did not involve him reporting the matter to
Rome.
No attempt was made to put protocols in place for chaplains
throughout the many hospitals in which they were working in the Dublin
Archdiocese and no attempt was made to monitor Fr Edmondus in other
placements.
13.72
Archbishop Connell and several other priests also handled the case
badly. The reaction of the local curate to the revelation of abuse by Mrs
Collins in 1985 was inadequate. How he could have formed a view that she
might be feeling guilty and in need of absolution when, in fact, she was
disclosing abuse is difficult for the Commission to understand.
13.73
His assertion that, as priests, they had been advised in college not to
seek the names of priests against whom allegations were being made in a
spiritual or counselling context is a cause of great concern to the
Commission.
Such an attitude would explain in large measure the many
appalling deficiencies in the Church‟s handling of complaints of child sexual
abuse over the years. Even if he himself did not wish to hear the full details
206
of her complaint, he should have arranged for her to see his parish priest or
another person who was in a position to deal with the complaint.
13.74
When concerns emerged from Edenmore in 1993, Archbishop Connell
did not check if there were other complaints. This failure meant that the
concerns were not taken as seriously as they should have been. There was
no proper investigation of these concerns. For example, the youth workers
who first raised them were not even interviewed at the time.
13.75
Archbishop Connell and Monsignor Stenson, while they were
personally kind in their dealings with Mrs Collins, were not initially open with
her. They failed to tell her that there was a pre-existing complaint and other
concerns.
Like many of those abused, she was thus isolated and left to
believe that she was the only one who had complained.
13.76
Monsignor Stenson‟s failure to disclose all available information to the
Gardaí is a cause of concern to the Commission. There was no doubt that
Monsignor Stenson believed that Mrs Collins had been abused by Fr
Edmondus.
In the Commission‟s view, he should have been far more
forthright with the Gardaí, but felt precluded from doing so by canon law. He
left Mrs Collins in a difficult situation by telling her that the priest had admitted
her abuse and then not acknowledging that to the Gardaí.
13.77
The Marie Collins case was reported to the diocese at the same time
as the Framework Document was being implemented. The handling of this
case by the Archdiocese demonstrates that the church guidelines which were
set out in the Framework Document were not being implemented at this time
by the Dublin Archdiocese. In particular the Archdiocese failed to notify her of
her entitlement to have a support person to assist her in her dealings with the
Archdiocese, nor did they provide a support priest for her. It was 11 months
after the date for implementing the Framework Document before Fr Norman,
whom she herself had approached to help her with her faith, was formally
appointed as her priest support. Even when appointed, little information and
no training on the role of support priest was given to Fr Norman. Monsignor
Stenson points out that the Framework Document was not published until
January 1996. He accepts that a support structure was not put in place in
accordance with that document until sometime between November 1996 and
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February 1997. He said he was satisfied from conversations that he had with
Fr Norman that he was providing, albeit at an informal level, support for Mrs
Collins.
13.78
The Commission is particularly concerned that the Archdiocese seems
to have been in breach of the guideline which states: “If the bishop or
religious superior is satisfied that child sexual abuse has occurred,
appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that the accused priest or
religious does not remain in any pastoral appointment which affords access to
children”. The fact that Fr Edmondus was allowed to wear clerical attire,
attend at the parish frequently and fulfil parish functions, despite having been
allegedly removed from the parish by the Archbishop, was particularly
worrying. Cardinal Connell told the Commission that it was not his fault that
Fr Edmondus did not obey instructions. Unfortunately this comment again
underlines the failure of the Archdiocese to properly monitor priests who are
disciplined.
13.79
Everything that Mrs Collins managed to extract from the Archdiocese
over the years in relation to the handling of child sexual abuse was given
grudgingly and always after a struggle. Mrs Collins now believes, on the
basis of bitter experience, that her Church cannot be trusted to deal properly
with complaints of child sexual abuse and that legal measures are required to
ensure compliance by the Church with proper standards of child protection.
The Commission also notes that, notwithstanding her own reservations in the
matter, there is no doubt that Mrs Collins, in her brave and often lonely
campaign to show the Archdiocese how it had erred in its handling of child
sexual abuse cases, was instrumental in changing the Archdiocese‟s
understanding and handling of these cases and of bringing about a far greater
atmosphere of openness about the incidence and handling of child sexual
abuse.
The Gardaí
13.80
There is no evidence that the Garda Commissioner investigated the
initial complaint that was forwarded to him from the UK authorities in 1960.
The Commission considers that it was totally inappropriate and a breach of
duty for the Garda Commissioner to simply hand over the complaint to
Archbishop McQuaid without carrying out any thorough investigation.
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13.81
The Gardaí handled the subsequent complaints properly.
They took
great care and patience with their investigations.
Health board
13.82
The first complaint that came to the attention of the health board was
the complaint from Co Wicklow.
The health board in that area acted
appropriately by reporting the matter to the Gardaí.
13.83
The health board‟s promises to act and subsequent failure to do so in
relation to the Edenmore concerns are worrying.
The health board may not
have had the power to make further inquiries in Edenmore but the impression
that further inquiries would be made was undoubtedly given to the
Archdiocese. It is extraordinary that the health board did find the will and the
capacity to act, and act at the highest level, when the Prime Time programme
began to inquire about the matter.
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Chapter 14
Fr Phineas*58
Introduction
14.1
Fr Phineas served in the Archdiocese of Dublin in the 1960s and
1970s. He has been laicised for over 20 years. There are two allegations of
child sexual abuse against him. These were made in 2005. However, there
is evidence that concerns were expressed to the diocesan authorities and to a
religious order at the time of the alleged abuse in the 1960s.
Fr Phineas
strenuously denies the allegations.
The allegations
14.2
Two women together made allegations to a priest in June 2005.
These allegations concerned a number of priests. The priest to whom the
allegations were reported contacted the Archdiocese.
First complainant
14.3
The allegations made by this complainant are not very clear. She
alleged that Fr Phineas “abused all the girls and got a nun pregnant”.
She
alleged that the then parish priest of the area where the abuse allegedly
occurred was aware of her abuse by Fr Phineas and was instrumental in her
committal into state care.
She also alleged that the nun responsible for
sending children to institutional care knew about the abuse. Philip Garland,
the director of the Child Protection Service in the Archdiocese met the
complainant. She stated that the abuse occurred when she was six years old
in the early 1970s.
14.4
The veracity of this complainant was later seriously undermined when
it emerged in a later interview with the second complainant, that the first
complainant had been pressuring the second complainant to say that they
were both in the priest‟s car when the priest abused the second complainant.
Second complainant
14.5
The second complainant alleged that she had been abused by Fr
Phineas approximately 40 years previously (in the 1960s).
After making her
initial complaint in June 2005 she returned to the UK and was not in contact
58
This is a pseudonym.
210
for a number of months. She contacted the Archdiocese again in November
2005. She said that the priest to whom she had reported in June 2005 had
given her the number of the Church‟s counselling service, Faoiseamh, but
that she was having trouble contacting the organisation.
She also said she
had made a statement to the Gardaí. Mr Garland maintained contact with her
and she told him later that she was now having counselling through
Faoiseamh. She also spoke of the abuse which involved touching and said it
would have occurred around 1969.
14.6
In April 2006, Mr Garland met this complainant in the UK. She told Mr
Garland that she had gone to the Garda Station to make a statement. She
had not, in fact, made the statement as she was not ready to do so.
14.7
The Archdiocese reported the case to the Gardaí and the HSE.
The
matters had not been resolved by the end of 2007.
The Commission’s Assessment
14.8
The priest to whom the allegations were reported and the Archdiocese
dealt properly with these complaints.
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Fr Vidal*59
Chapter 15
Introduction
15.1
Fr Vidal was ordained in the 1960s for a diocese in the UK.
He
served in the Archdiocese of Dublin for approximately ten years in the 1960s
and 1970s. He died in 2004.
15.2
Almost immediately after he was ordained Fr Vidal began to
experience problems with celibacy and he had affairs with a number of
women. He moved away from the UK diocese apparently to try to escape
one of his entanglements. He applied for laicisation in the late 1960s but did
not go through with the process. He then decided that he wished to remain a
priest.
15.3
He contacted Archbishop McQuaid to see if he could get work as a
priest in the Archdiocese of Dublin. His bishop wrote to Archbishop McQuaid
saying “As you will appreciate, it will not be advisable for him to work in this
diocese again”.
He did not elaborate on the reason but it would seem that
the Archbishop McQuaid was aware of a problem and the nature of it. It was
hoped that he could eventually be incardinated in Dublin but that never
happened.
First complaint, 1973
15.4
Fr Vidal began work as a priest in the Dublin Archdiocese in 1968. In
1973, a nun reported to the Archdiocese that Fr Vidal was involved with both
an adult woman, who was a teacher, and a girl aged 12 – 14. He had started
these relationships sometime between 1968 and 1971.
The nun had letters
which suggested that the relationship with the young girl was sexual. In an
undated letter to another nun, with whom it appears that the priest was also
friendly, the girl said she was in love with Fr Vidal. During his laicisation
process in 1979, Fr Vidal accepted that there was a physical relationship with
this girl from the time she was about 13.
15.5
When this report came to the Archdiocese, the Archbishop‟s secretary,
Canon McMahon, correctly noted that “the most serious aspect is the age of
[the girl]”.
59
It would appear that Archbishop Ryan asked a parish priest to
This is a pseudonym.
212
investigate.
In his report, the parish priest said: “Basically, I think we must
accept that [Fr Vidal] has been at least guilty of conduct which was indiscreet,
improper and open to grave scandal”. He went on to say: “It is not necessary
to accept everything that has been said against him – the details are of little
account -
but there is sufficient evidence to justify a warning to a priest
accused of such attitudes and conduct that he would seem to have gravely
compromised his priesthood.”
15.6
The parish priest then set out his views as to how the matter should be
dealt with. Fr Vidal
“should be seen and informed that His Grace the Archbishop has
received a report concerning his conduct with a very young girl. No
charge should be made, no details given and the source of the
information should not be disclosed… No matter how the interview
goes or how he reacts, he needs to be handled firmly, but with
kindness and patience…he has been accepted on a temporary basis
in this Diocese, which in itself is a great kindness. Finally, he should
be instructed 1, not to visit the [young girl‟s] home ever again or to
meet [the young girl] and 2, that he must be extremely careful in future
with his relations with women.”
15.7
The parish priest then met Fr Vidal. Fr Vidal denied any impropriety.
He stated that he was fully aware that the young girl had a crush on him but
that it had not been reciprocated and that his relationship with the teacher
was entirely platonic.
He agreed to keep away from the young girl. The
parish priest told him that he expected that his assurances about his future
conduct would be accepted by the Archbishop.
It does appear that these
assurances were accepted as nothing further was done.
Application for laicisation
15.8
In 1977, Fr Vidal was granted leave of absence because of a “growing
spiritual and vocational crisis”.
About a year later he decided to apply for
laicisation. Bishop O‟Mahony sent him for a psychological assessment. This
assessment was unequivocal. It recognised that he was promiscuous and
that he “never did, never could and never will” sustain a life of celibacy. The
psychologist recommended that it would be in the best interests of the Church
for him to be laicised.
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15.9
Accordingly in 1979 the petition for laicisation was put in motion. The
process was handled by Bishop O‟Mahony. During the laicisation process, Fr
Vidal admitted to his various relationships with women. He said that he had
never ended the relationship with the young girl. She was now in her early
20s and he was planning to marry her. Despite his earlier denials to the
Church inquiry, he admitted that they had had a physical relationship since
she was about 13.
15.10
The laicisation petition was sent to Rome in October 1980.
No
decision was made because, when Rome sought further information, the
circumstances had changed.
15.11
The couple did marry in 1980. The ceremony was conducted by a
priest of the Archdiocese even though it would appear that Fr Vidal was not
free to enter into a Catholic marriage. It was, however, a valid civil marriage.
Return to ministry
15.12
In 1985, Fr Vidal contacted Bishop O‟Mahony and told him that the
marriage had broken down and that he wished to return to ministry. Bishop
O‟Mahony told the Commission that he shredded his file on Fr Vidal after the
priest‟s death so there is no documentation available about his dealings with
Fr Vidal in the 1980s.
In 2006, Bishop O‟Mahony recounted what had
happened to the priest delegate of the Archdiocese. The bishop said that he
sent Fr Vidal to a monastery to consider his situation. After a month there,
the monks were supportive of his wish to return to ministry. Bishop O‟Mahony
then sent Fr Vidal and his wife for counselling and they formally separated.
Diocese of Sacramento
15.13
Bishop O‟Mahony arranged for Fr Vidal to go to the diocese of
Sacramento, California.
He wrote a letter of commendation to that diocese.
The diocese of Sacramento has confirmed to the Commission that this letter
made no mention whatsoever of Fr Vidal‟s previous activities. There is no
evidence that Bishop O‟Mahony told anyone else in the Archdiocese of Dublin
about the arrangements he had made at the time (1985) nor that he was in
contact with Fr Vidal‟s UK diocese. Such evidence may have been in Bishop
O‟Mahony‟s shredded file. Subsequent letters from Fr Vidal‟s UK diocese
suggest that it was not aware of his going to Sacramento but this is not
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absolutely certain. The decision to allow him to resume ministry was made in
spite of the earlier unequivocal view of the psychologist about his incapacity
to maintain celibacy.
15.14
Fr Vidal‟s wife subsequently married another man in a Catholic Church
ceremony. In order to allow her to have a church ceremony, she was given a
statement in 1991 by Monsignor Stenson that the 1980 marriage was not, in
fact, a valid Catholic marriage. She got a divorce from Fr Vidal after the
divorce laws were introduced in Ireland in 1996.
15.15
Bishop O‟Mahony remained in contact with Fr Vidal.
In 1991, the
bishop of the UK diocese was in contact with the Archdiocese because Fr
Vidal now sought to be incardinated into the Sacramento diocese. There is a
series of correspondence in the archdiocesan files between Sacramento,
Dublin and the UK diocese as to how and when Fr Vidal should be
incardinated as he had never been incardinated in Dublin. Finally it was
decided that the UK diocese would excardinate him and that Sacramento
would incardinate him directly.
The Archdiocese provided Fr Vidal with a
statement outlining his involvement in the Archdiocese.
This statement
included the information that he had become involved with a girl whom he had
civilly married. It did not mention her age when he first became sexually
involved with her.
15.16
Fr Vidal got a divorce in California in 1992.
The diocese of
Sacramento was unaware that he was civilly married when he went there. He
continued to minister as a priest in Sacramento. There were no complaints of
child sexual abuse against him in this diocese. He retired to Ireland in 2003
and he died in 2004.
Bishop O’Mahony documents
15.17
The Commission‟s analysis of this case was hampered by the
absence of records of the communications between Bishop O‟Mahony and Fr
Vidal.
15.18
Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he started to shred
documents in 2001 when he was ill.
These were documents which had
arisen while he was dealing with a confidential matter: “Any document that a
215
priest came and spoke to me in a private, confidential capacity, about a
spiritual matter of conscience, I felt that no one had a right after I was dead to
see those documents. I shred them”.
15.19
He also told the Commission that the only documents in relation to
child sexual abuse that he shredded were the documents relating to Fr Vidal.
He shredded these because the priest had died:
“I felt that I had a duty to protect his good name and protect the good
name of [the girl he married], who had subsequently married. Her
marriage is recognised by Church and State. So I regarded the [Fr
Vidal] case as very much a good news story. That the priest went
back into active ministry and the girl in question, who was a young
woman when I met her, married happily and her marriage is
recognised civilly and canonically. [This reference is to her second
marriage.] So for me that was a good news story”.
The Commission’s assessment
15.20
The Commission does not consider that this is a “good news story”.
The Commission finds it extraordinary that nothing was done about Fr Vidal‟s
relationship with a teenage girl other than to ask for an assurance that he
would end it.
15.21
The Commission is very concerned that Fr Vidal was allowed to return
to ministry in spite of his admission of child sexual abuse. It is particularly
concerned that Bishop O‟Mahony did not provide the diocese of Sacramento
with any information about Fr Vidal‟s adverse history. It also has concerns
that little weight seems to have been given to the fact that he was civilly
married and had responsibilities associated with that state.
The fact that
there are no further reports of abuse and that he subsequently divorced his
wife without the knowledge of the diocese of Sacramento and reached an
amicable settlement with her does not detract from these concerns.
216
Chapter 16
Fr Patrick Maguire
Introduction
16.1
Fr Patrick Maguire is a member of the Missionary Society of St
Columban (generally known as the Columban Fathers). He was born in 1936
and ordained in 1960. He served in Japan for a number of years between
1961 and 1974. During this time he had lengthy holidays in Ireland. He then
worked in the UK and in Ireland, including, for a brief period in 1983/4, as an
assistant priest in a parish of the Archdiocese of Dublin.
16.2
Fr Maguire is a convicted serial child sexual abuser. He has been
convicted of indecent assault in the UK and in Ireland and has served prison
sentences in both countries. In 1997, he admitted to having abused about 70
young boys in a number of countries and he abused at least one young girl as
well. When he was subsequently charged he told his Society that about 100
victims might emerge in Ireland when his name became known. His pattern
of abuse is such that it is likely that he abused hundreds of children in all
parts of Ireland as well as in the UK and Japan. There can be no doubt that
he used his position as a priest to access children.
He was associated with
another serial abuser – Fr Bill Carney (see Chapter 28) – around the time he
was working in the Archdiocese. The Society of St Columban has pointed
out, and the Commission accepts, that it had no knowledge of Bill Carney or
of his association with Patrick Maguire. Fr Maguire was suspended from the
clerical state in 2000. He remains a member of the Society and lives within
the Society under strict conditions.
16.3
Fr Maguire‟s way of operating was described by one of his therapists
in the following words:
“PM typically employed an elaborate „planning‟ and „grooming‟
process, involving the children and adults around them, for example; „I
thought of ways of meeting boys, engaging in conversation, ways of
seeing them with their family and seeing how they related with their
parents - I planned ways of seeing them with other boys, and
eventually ways of being alone with them in places where they felt
safe - I planned ways of getting them alone where no one else could
observe and where undressing would not be thought out of place, like
bathing together, changing at the pool, showering after a swim, and
217
eventually ways of getting them to spend the night, and sleep with me
in bed.‟ […] He employed a well practised „formula‟ to get his victim to
comply with what he wanted to do to him, plus the fact that he held a
position of authority, making the victim powerless in this situation. […]
PM has described abusing his victims, by being naked with them in
bed and „touching‟ and „caressing‟ their bodies and genitals.”
History of abuse
16.4
Fr Maguire admitted to a therapist in 1997 that he had abused a child
and groomed others before he became a priest.
He also told this therapist
that he wanted to escape from the sexual confusion he felt by becoming a
Roman Catholic missionary priest.
He told the Commission that he had
reasoned that “since priests don‟t have sex, it wouldn‟t matter whether he was
attracted to boys or girls”.
16.5
In 1997, he admitted to the following abuses:
Before he became a priest: one boy; he also admitted to having sex with a
boy of his own age while a teenager and to having groomed two other
boys.
1963 – 1966:
three boys in Japan; he also groomed others.
1967:
six or seven boys while in Ireland.
1968 – 1972:
two boys.
1973:
ten boys in Ireland and ten in Japan.
1974/75:
eight boys in Ireland.
1976 – 1979:
eight boys and one girl; he also admitted that he set up
a network of victims and families where he could abuse.
1984:
three boys.
1984 – 1989:
two boys; he also continued his relationship with other
victims and families.
1992- 1994:
a vulnerable adult (21 years old).
1996:
grooming.
He told the Commission that this list is not complete.
16.6
In 1998, he described his activities up to 1985 as being “hands-on”
with some children while encouraging others to bathe with him or be naked in
his presence.
218
Japan, 1961 – 1974
16.7
Fr Maguire admits that he groomed and abused boys while in Japan in
the period 1961 - 1974. He also admits that he abused boys while he was on
holidays in Ireland from Japan. There is evidence that the Society had some
concerns about him in 1968.
The minutes of a meeting of the General
Council of the Society record that “The advisability of […] Patrick Maguire
returning to Japan was discussed as it was felt that this might prove a danger
to them. No decision was made”. The members of the council are all dead so
it has not been possible to establish what exactly these concerns were.
16.8
He was sent back to Ireland from Japan in 1974 after a nun there
complained to the bishop about his inappropriate conduct with young males.
The letter from a member of the Society in Japan to the head of the Society60
in Ireland shows how the issue was viewed at the time:
“I am writing to you about PM who is leaving Japan tomorrow evening
for Ireland. Just about a week ago, one of the sisters in the parish
where Pat works alerted me to a problem that Pat has. The problem
involves young male children. The incidents she quoted weren‟t that
serious, but, I felt serious enough to warrant immediate attention. I
went down to talk to Pat last week. I talked to Bishop Hirata first,
because the sister had been to see him before she came to me.
Bishop Hirata was most understanding but said that it would be best
that Pat slip out of Japan quietly. There is always a danger that the
weekly magazines would latch onto a thing like that and blow it up out
of all proportions. The good name of the Church would suffer, not to
mention Pat‟s. The Bishop also said that there could be a danger of a
law case, as the parents of the children involved know of the incidents.
I think that there is hardly any likelihood, as the incidents referred to
are three or four months old.
I talked with Pat on Wed. last. He freely admitted to the accusations of
the sister, but they didn‟t seem to be quite as serious as the sister
painted them, and I believe Pat. However Pat also admitted that he
60
The term „head of the Society‟ is used to describe anyone in authority in the Society.
219
has had this problem or tendency for years, and off and on over the
years he had gone to psychiatrists privately about it. Loneliness, he
puts down as the root cause of his problem.
He had the tendency more or less under control, but is really scared of
it himself. I think that it is Divine Providence that the problem came
into the open at this stage. If Pat were to stay on until he was due for
his next holiday in two years, he, more than likely, would go home a
wreck […]
Pat is going home, ostensibly, because his mother is sick. It may
sound deceitful to you, but it is the only way that I can think of that
would release Pat from the obligation of having going away parties
and all the attendant publicity”.
16.9
It appears that the real reason for Fr Maguire‟s departure from Japan
was known only to a few members of the Society in Ireland. The General
Council “Agreed that pro tem Patrick Maguire, Japan, be considered as on
compassionate leave in Ireland”. It is not clear that those who did know
understood the nature and/or extent of the problem. It was never referred to
as child sexual abuse.
Nevertheless, they were aware that Fr Maguire‟s
problem ought not be widely known or acknowledged.
16.10
On his return from Japan in 1974, Fr Maguire attended a priest for
counselling and he also attended a psychiatrist. The Society did not brief the
psychiatrist in writing. It is not clear exactly what problem the psychiatrist
thought Fr Maguire had but it would appear that either he did not know what
had happened or he had no knowledge of child sexual abuse. In his report,
the psychiatrist stated that Fr Maguire was a shy man who found himself in a
difficult cultural situation and gradually became isolated. The psychiatrist felt
that the actual physical manifestation of his problem was related to his
isolation and could, in a number of instances, be regarded as almost
coincidental. It is clear from later statements to therapists that Fr Maguire
considered there was little sexuality in his relationships with children – he
liked “physical intimacy” with children.
The psychiatrist reported to the
Society that he did not think that Fr Maguire “should cut himself off completely
220
from young people…he will begin to relate better with his peers as he grows
older”.
(After Fr Maguire‟s conviction in the UK in 1998, the Society issued a
statement in which it acknowledged that this advice proved incorrect.)
16.11
Fr Maguire worked in the UK for some months in 1974 and was then
assigned to Ireland for a year. His superior wrote to him saying that the
Society was very happy with the progress he had made – this was based on
the psychiatrist‟s reports. The letter went on to say: “The difficulties that you
have encountered in Japan are not that unusual. You have always been an
excellent priest, a very capable one and a hard worker. I am confident that
given time at home in a more relaxed situation where you can see the results
of your priestly activity that you will be all the better for any difficulties that you
may have incurred in Japan”.
Diocese of Raphoe, 1974 - 1975
16.12
Fr Maguire was assigned to work in the diocese of Raphoe in
September 1974. While there, he requested to say the early morning mass;
he then had an excuse for getting the altar boys to stay overnight so they
would be in time in the morning.
He engaged in his usual practice of
grooming children by inviting them to stay in his house and bringing them
swimming. One victim said later that “We all had an idea about what went on
but none of us spoke”. A priest who served with him stated in 1997 that he
thought Fr Maguire had abused about eight or nine boys while there.
16.13
At this stage, Fr Maguire became astonishingly brazen. He reported
to the parents of a boy who had stayed overnight in his house that the boy
had a problem with his testicles. Not surprisingly, the parents wondered how
he had discovered that. The parents of this boy and others complained to the
Bishop of Raphoe, Bishop McFeely, who immediately asked the Society to
remove Fr Maguire from his diocese. His letter of December 1975 to the
Society well illustrates the episcopal thinking of the time:
“Earlier this year I had a well substantiated complaint from one set of
parents about PM having homosexual relations with a son of theirs
who was an altar server. We agreed not to take any action at that
time but to keep a look out for any repetition. I regret to say that
221
another case has cropped up in the past few days. I am fairly certain
that the two sets of parents involved are each unaware of the other
complaint and I cannot doubt the truth of their report. I do not wish to
go into details but briefly PM had these boys in his room all night and
would seem to have interfered sexually with them. He informed the
parents of one of the boys that the son had an abnormality of the
testicles.
I intend to speak to PM tomorrow or Sunday and no matter what
transpires in my interview with him, I will insist on him leaving here as
quickly and as quietly as possible. ... If PM were to remain here even
for a short time, there would be grave danger of the affair becoming
public. One of the parents has consulted a doctor. If news of PM‟s
departure were to leak out, there might well be a proposal to have
some kind of send-off for him and that could lead to unforeseen
dangers.
Of course, I will be as helpful as I can and be as sympathetic as I can.
We can easily say that you found it necessary to recall him urgently for
other duties and I should think there will be no untoward surprise”.
16.14
Fr Maguire was removed from Raphoe immediately. He attended a
psychologist in Dublin who according to Fr Maguire was “very aggressive”
with him but who clearly recognised the problem. Fr Maguire was sent to
Stroud in February 1976. The head of the Society in Ireland told Stroud that
“If people enquire about him I‟m saying that he‟s on a renewal course in
England – somewhere in Gloucestershire as Stroud will have connotations for
many!”. Fr Maguire spent three months in Stroud. Again, it is not clear what
Stroud was told but it is clear that his problem was diagnosed as “paederasty
coupled with an almost unbelievable imprudence and lack of understanding of
the danger he can be to boys”.
Stroud considered that Fr Maguire was in
certain respects immature. There was danger but “this does not mean that he
cannot practice in the long term as a valuable priest”. It was recognised that
he had become “too intimate” with boys but that “can be made too much of as
I cannot believe that he was in any way cruel or ruthless with the boys in
question”.
222
16.15
Fr Maguire said later (in 1992) that, other than seeing a psychiatrist on
six occasions, he did not receive any specific treatment for his difficulties in
Stroud. He said that everyone was treated as an alcoholic and the area of
sexuality was denied. It is clearly not the case that the area of sexuality was
denied. However, there seems to have been a diagnosis or assessment only
and no treatment and there also seems to have been a very limited
understanding of the nature and consequences of being “too intimate” with
boys. Fr Maguire also said (in evidence to the Church penal process in 2000)
that he did supply work locally while he was in Stroud.
16.16
The Society seems to have noted only the optimistic parts of the
assessment from Stroud and admitted as much in 1998.
16.17
Fr Maguire started pastoral work in the UK later in 1976. During this
time he committed the abuse for which he was subsequently convicted in the
UK. This abuse was not reported to the Society at the time.
Mission promotion in Ireland 1976 - 1979
16.18
On the basis that the report from Stroud was “encouraging”, the
Society decided that Fr Maguire should go on mission promotion work in
Ireland as he would move from parish to parish and would not have enough
time to “establish relationships which might be dangerous”. He did this from
September 1976 to 1979. This involved preaching at all masses in a parish
on a Sunday and spending the weekdays in the schools telling the children
about the missions. He would look to the congregation for a place to stay; he
seems to have been particularly adept at staying in houses where there were
no adult males. At least four of the boys he abused during this period lived in
the Archdiocese of Dublin.
He also abused in other parts of the country.
There seems to have been absolutely no supervision of him during this
period. The Society has explained to the Commission that mission promotion
work was organised in the following way:
“As a matter of practice each congregation was assigned a diocese.
Each year the congregation would be aware of what work was being
done by whom in what diocese in general terms but not of the details
as to the schedules of any of the individuals carrying out that work.
Generally the persons working the diocese would split it up amongst
themselves as members of the promotional team. At the same time
223
there would have been direct liaison with individual Parish Priests, in
relation to availability etc.
Patrick Maguire‟s schedule would have been derived through the
process described above. The Society would know which diocese he
was attached to but not the details of his schedule”.
16.19
He spent some time doing supply work in the UK during this period.
This was unknown to his superior in Ireland until Fr Maguire wrote a letter to
him about an unrelated matter.
16.20
A further complaint was made to the Society and it was decided to
give Fr Maguire an office job. In May 1979, he was appointed as secretary to
the central administration of the Society – this included being the private
secretary to the Superior General. He was based in Dublin. While doing this
job, he also did what the Society describes as “ad hoc supply as and when
requested in different churches. This usually took the form of saying one or
two masses usually on weekends when vacancies arose in the local area
from time to time”.
First complaint to Archdiocese, 1979
16.21
In 1979, a woman complained to a priest of the Archdiocese that she
had found Fr Maguire in bed with her two sons.
She had provided Fr
Maguire with a bed for the night after he had preached in her local church.
She noticed that he was not in the bed allocated and found him in her sons‟
bed. His excuse was that he was cold. She provided him with a hot water
bottle and sent him back to his allocated bed. She subsequently found him
back in her sons‟ bed. In a statement made in 1997, the priest to whom she
reported this allegation at the time said that he had reported it to his parish
priest. Unfortunately, the parish priest was dead by then and so could not be
asked about it. It seems that nothing further happened.
16.22
There is no doubt that the complaint was made in 1979. The priest‟s
description (in 1997) of the complaint he received (in 1979) totally
corroborates the statements of the boys and their mother.
Neither the
Archdiocese nor the Society has a contemporaneous record of this complaint.
The Archdiocese did investigate the complaint in 1997 after the boys in
224
question (who were then young adults) made complaints to the Gardaí – see
below.
16.23
Fr Maguire went to a treatment centre in the UK for six months in 1982
at his own instigation. He told his therapist that he felt sad and lonely after his
mother died and sought therapy. He returned to work as secretary to the
Society in September 1982. In January 1983, he was complaining to his
superior about lack of support. He saw his current job as “a form of „house
arrest‟”.
In fact, it was not even remotely akin to house arrest because he
continued to do supply work in local churches in Dublin, he was taking
children swimming and he also managed to go to the UK and access children
whom he had previously abused.
Working in the Archdiocese, 1983 - 1984
16.24
Fr Maguire was appointed to the Archdiocese of Dublin in October
1983. He was appointed to a parish for which the Society had a contract with
the Archdiocese – Balcurris, Ballymun. The appointment was to be for two
years. The superior of the Society in Ireland wrote a letter to Archbishop
Ryan in which he “highly” recommended Fr Maguire. He told the Archbishop
that Fr Maguire had served in Japan and more recently as secretary to the
central administration. There was no mention of his service in Raphoe or of
his missionary promotion work. There was no mention of any problems even
though it is clear that the superior did know that there were problems. He
may not have known the full extent of the problems but he ought to have
mentioned those of which he did have knowledge. Fr Maguire also continued
with his job as secretary until a new appointment was made.
16.25
In November 1983, the Archdiocese was investigating a complaint
against Fr Bill Carney (see Chapter 28). During the church investigation of
this complaint, Fr Carney told Monsignor Alex Stenson and Canon Ardle
McMahon that he (Fr Carney) used to bring boys swimming and was
accompanied by two adults, one of whom was “a Fr Pat Maguire (a
Columban)”. Fr Carney said these adults were prepared to vouch for him if
the matter went to court. Neither Monsignor Stenson nor Canon McMahon
nor the people to whom they reported, Bishop Kavanagh and Archbishop
Ryan, noted that Fr Maguire was, in fact, attached to the Archdiocese of
Dublin at this stage. No effort was made to contact Fr Maguire in respect of
225
the Fr Carney complaint. However it must be said that, at this stage, the
Archdiocese had no notice that Fr Maguire was a child abuser and there was
no reason why Monsignor Stenson or Canon McMahon would have had any
suspicions about him.
16.26
In 1984, Fr Maguire was still visiting former victims‟ families in the
diocese of Raphoe and officiated at a wedding there. This was known to the
Society but they did not do anything about it.
Second complaint to Archdiocese
16.27
In April 1984, Archbishop Ryan‟s secretary informed the head of the
Society in Ireland of three complaints about Fr Maguire‟s behaviour with
children. The first had been reported to the Archdiocese some time earlier by
the parish priest of Ayrfield.
He reported a complaint by parents that Fr
Maguire was too intimate with their children at a swimming pool. Again, Fr
Maguire had told parents that a child had problems with his testicles.
It
appears that the Archbishop‟s secretary told the Society that the Archbishop
did not act on this information because of the “delicate position” of Fr Maguire
as the Superior General‟s secretary. Then, an anonymous caller reported
similar incidents but, because of the caller‟s wish to remain anonymous, the
Archbishop did not pursue the case. The third complaint had been made the
day before the secretary reported to the Society.
Another parent had
complained about Fr Maguire‟s involvement with children. The head of the
Society said that there could be substance to these complaints. The Society
then contacted the local curate (who was one of its members) and was told
that he and the other priests were disturbed by so many youths calling to Fr
Maguire‟s room. They had confronted Fr Maguire and advised him to be
more prudent, but he defended his position and said he was “showing loving
care to those who have been deprived of it”.
16.28
Fr Maguire was withdrawn from the Archdiocese in May 1984.
Archbishop Ryan sent him the standard letter of thanks for his service in the
Archdiocese.
16.29
There is no record of this complaint in the files of the Archdiocese.
When asked about it in 2000, the former secretary remembered that there
had been a complaint and that Fr Maguire was removed but did not
226
remember the details. He told the Commission that he did not remember
meeting the head of the Society but he accepted that the meeting had taken
place. He had not discussed the complaint with Monsignor Alex Stenson
who, had he been informed, might have linked it with the earlier Fr Carney
complaint.
Internal communication within the Archdiocese was clearly
inadequate in this case.
UK, 1984 - 1992
16.30
Fr Maguire was sent to the UK for therapy. After some discussion of
what form of therapy he would undergo, it was decided that he would have a
job as bursar in one of the Society‟s houses in the UK and have therapy at
the therapeutic centre which he had attended in 1982. The local head of the
Society had reservations about the wisdom of assigning him to the UK. Fr
Maguire had reservations about the type of therapy being proposed.
The
therapeutic facility had reservations about having Fr Maguire because he was
likely to re-offend and “the chances of smoothing over such cases in which a
clergyman is involved would be much less here than in Ireland”. Fr Maguire
then received daily intensive therapy for over two years.
He was in touch
with his superior in Ireland about his therapy and his progress generally. He
was considering leaving the priesthood and marrying. One letter from the
superior throws light on the Society‟s views of the role of priests:
“Without in any way impinging on your freedom, I offer the advice that
you don‟t surrender that freedom of decision to any therapist. You are
a priest and you should not allow any person other than yourself to
conclude that you ought not remain in ministry, albeit a limited one. I
am distrustful of the capacity of any layman or woman to know what it
means to be a priest. A priest counsellor is in a better position to do
so. Do you have a spiritual director as well as a therapist? I know that
you are probably fed up to the back teeth with the therapy and I don‟t
want in any way to throw doubt on what the therapist is finding, but he
isn‟t God. Don‟t let him decide for you”.
The Society told the Commission that this letter should not be taken as a
general comment on the Society‟s views of the role of priests or the nature of
a vocation but rather as a specific response to a letter written by Fr Maguire in
which he communicated some serious personal problems.
227
16.31
Fr Maguire left this therapy arrangement in anger as he felt it was not
helping him. He was in the USA for six months in 1988/89 pursuing a clinical
pastoral education course. The Society considered his situation in 1989 and
concluded that they “must be cautious in his appointment but also we have to
„take a risk‟ with him at some stage”. He was given a parish and hospital
appointment in London. This also involved being a school chaplain. He was
involved in a school trip where he supervised boys washing and getting ready
for bed. It is not clear what, if anything, members of his Society with whom he
was living knew of his background.
16.32
He was asked to leave his parish appointment in May 1992 when the
parents of a 21-year-old man complained that Fr Maguire was in an abusive
sexual relationship with their son who suffered from a mental illness. A head
teacher had already asked that Fr Maguire stay away from the school. He
was sent back to the therapeutic facility. The Society had finally reached the
conclusion that he could not have public ministry for the foreseeable future.
The therapeutic facility was very clear that Fr Maguire posed a danger to any
child with whom he came in contact.
16.33
A manager of a pharmacy reported that Fr Maguire had left in
photographs to be developed which were a cause of concern as they involved
nudity. In the light of all the issues which had arisen, the Society decided to
get him out of the UK before he was arrested. He was immediately sent to
Ireland.
Ireland, 1992 - 1996
16.34
The superior of the Society in the UK wrote to the Society in Ireland
saying that Fr Maguire should be formally suspended in order to remove “the
priestly safety net”, that his counsellor described him as a “walking time
bomb” and that the Columbans should have a written policy on child sexual
abusers.
He also said that the family of the children involved in the
photographs (who were in Ireland) should be informed. This is the first time in
the lengthy dealings with Fr Maguire that some concern is expressed for the
safety of children.
16.35
The reports from the therapeutic facility at this stage were very clear
that Fr Maguire was a risk to children and should not be allowed any pastoral
228
ministry. It was very clear that he used his pastoral role to gain access to
victims and to groom families of potential victims. The therapeutic facility
recommended that he be placed in a residential treatment programme.
16.36
The council of the Society in the UK formally recommended to its Irish
equivalent that Fr Maguire have residential treatment for his paedophilia and
be compulsorily suspended from the priesthood until further notice. The UK
Society head noted that:
“As far as I can work out, on three occasions the Society has
recommended PM for pastoral work when as a Society we have
collectively had sufficient knowledge to have known better and not to
have appointed him to a parish or hospital. Maybe for lack of
knowledge of all the facts from Japan, Ireland and England, PM was
allowed back into ministry, with I am sad to say disastrous
consequences, damaging people and leaving us in a delicate situation
with both the Archdioceses of Westminster and Birmingham”.
16.37
It is not clear if he was aware that they were also “in a delicate
situation” with a number of dioceses in Ireland.
16.38
In December 1992, Fr Maguire was living in one of the Society‟s
houses in Ireland and his liturgical and pastoral activity was restricted to
there. He could stay a night away from there very occasionally but only with
specific permission. He could be away during the day but was required to
inform the local superior and to be back by midnight.
He could ask for
permission to say mass for his family or officiate at funerals or weddings. He
was allowed go to his family home for an occasional overnight stay during
which his brother was to accept responsibility for him. The local parish priest
in his home area was informed and told that Fr Maguire was forbidden to say
mass, even in an emergency.
Fr Maguire started individual and group
therapy in Dublin. The Society in the UK was concerned that he had not been
suspended. In general, the head of the Society in the UK seemed to be more
conscious of the risk Fr Maguire presented than was his Irish counterpart.
16.39
The local bishop was not told in writing of Fr Maguire‟s problems or of
his presence in his diocese but the Society told the Commission that he may
have been told informally as he was a regular visitor to this house at the time.
229
In fact, the local bishop has told the Commission that he was briefed on a
number of occasions on developments in the case and on the ongoing
arrangements for supervision and monitoring. He said (in 2009) that he was
and continues to be satisfied with the arrangements. Neither the Archbishop
of Dublin nor the Bishop of Raphoe was informed of the complaints or of Fr
Maguire‟s whereabouts.
16.40
The Society developed a Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors – it got
final approval in September 1994.
This included provision for on-going
education for members on the nature of sexual abuse and its effects on
minors and also included a provision that candidates for membership would
undergo psychological testing. This would seek to identify tendencies to
paedophilia and ephebophilia61.
16.41
In 1994, complaints were made to the Society about abuse which had
occurred in Ireland in 1977. The complainants were told that Fr Maguire was
no longer in ministry and did not have access to children. They were also
encouraged by the Society to lodge a complaint with the Gardaí.
16.42
In 1995, it was clear that Fr Maguire was not abiding by the
restrictions imposed.
A local priest reported to the Society that he was
concerned that Fr Maguire was staying in his own accommodation at his
brother‟s place and that he might have a relationship with a 15-year-old boy.
The Society forbade Fr Maguire to stay overnight away from the Society
house. The Society in the UK expressed concern at the fact that Fr Maguire
was celebrating private masses in his home parish and had organised a
holiday for a family from the UK including children under 16. The Society in
the UK wrote:
“My motives for writing come only from a genuine concern for possible
victims as well as for the good name of our Society. If anything serious
became public and the Society was found in any way negligent, and in
my judgment we have been on various occasions down through the
years, then the result, with regard to the financial support given to the
Columbans by our benefactors, both in Ireland and Britain, would in
my opinion be catastrophic […]”.
61
Sexual attraction to adolescents.
230
16.43
The UK regional director clearly had a good understanding of Fr
Maguire‟s methods. Fr Maguire was quite annoyed at what he saw as the
unjust assumption that he was abusing the boy.
The Society visited the
family of the boy who had stayed with Fr Maguire and the family had no
complaints.
The local health board was informed of the situation by the
Society. In September 1995, the restrictions were more stringently imposed.
16.44
In 1996, complaints of abuse from the Raphoe diocese were made to
Monsignor Stenson, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dublin and to the
Society.
Monsignor Stenson reported the complaints to the Society.
Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that Fr Maguire‟s name had not
registered in his memory and he had made no connection between this
complaint and the 1983 Fr Carney complaint.
The Society informed the
Gardaí and the local bishop.
Further treatment, admissions and arrest, 1997
16.45
The Society started a canon law investigation of the Raphoe
complaints. Fr Maguire was placed under further restrictions including being
forbidden to drive, to stay away from the Society house or to holiday abroad.
He was sent to another therapeutic facility in the UK for assessment and
treatment; this went on for over a year and was quite expensive. It was
during this treatment that he admitted to the range of child sexual abuse
offences which are listed above.
16.46
The Society started to build up a full profile of Fr Maguire. It was
recognised that, because he had moved between provinces, no one in the
Society seemed to know the full story.
In fact, the Society told the
Commission that the first time all the documentation which it has in relation to
Fr Maguire was brought together in one location was in preparation for the
work of this Commission.
16.47
As information was gathered from the various superiors who had dealt
with Fr Maguire, it did become clear that none of them had full knowledge of
all the complaints and suspicions which had been reported; each had a
certain amount of knowledge.
A number of members of the Society who
were, nominally at least, Fr Maguire‟s superiors, said in 1997 that they were
231
not aware of the problem for which Fr Maguire was being sent for treatment.
The general view of the people who did know about some of the complaints
was that his behaviour was “imprudent”.
The superior who had
recommended Fr Maguire to the Archdiocese of Dublin, wrote: “Even in the
1970s it was regarded as contrary to the rule of charity to put in writing details
of a member‟s sexual misbehaviour. When there were such incidents they
were shared by word-of-mouth between as few as possible in authority”. He
said he should not have highly recommended Fr Maguire to the Archbishop of
Dublin because he found him difficult and contrary but that he did so because
of positive medical reports and not knowing why he had been removed from
the diocese of Raphoe. He also said that he did not know about the incidents
in Japan, Raphoe, the UK and Dublin until 1995. He also did not know why
Fr Maguire had been sent to Stroud, although he was his local superior and
visited him there: “since no information was proffered to me, I respected the
confidentiality of the case”.
Others referred to similar considerations of
confidentiality. The Society‟s structure also meant that information was kept
in different locations, for example, the central headquarters in Ireland is
separate from the Irish regional headquarters and separate files were kept in
each place.
16.48
Fr Maguire was arrested while at the therapeutic facility in July 1997
and charged with indecent assault in relation to incidents in 1976 and 1977 in
the UK. He remained in the facility while awaiting trial. Meanwhile, a garda
investigation had been proceeding in Ireland. Fr Maguire told his superior
while he was awaiting trial in the UK in 1997 that 100 cases could be
expected if his name became public in Ireland.
16.49
When he was arrested in the UK, the Society informed the dioceses in
Ireland in which he had served, including the Archdiocese of Dublin. The
Society told the Archdiocese that there had been a complaint in respect of Fr
Maguire‟s time in the Archdiocese and that it had documentation about the
1984 meeting.
16.50
The young men, who, as boys, had been involved in the first complaint
to the Archdiocese (in 1979) made a complaint to the Gardaí and wrote to the
Archdiocese to find out why their mother‟s complaint in 1979 had not been
investigated and why no action had been taken in respect of Fr Maguire.
232
16.51
The Society withdrew Fr Maguire‟s faculties to hear confession, offer a
public mass and preach. It contacted all the relevant health boards in Ireland
and had meetings with the director of community care and senior social
workers in the health board area where he had been recently living.
16.52
The Archdiocese of Dublin tried to establish what had happened in
relation to the 1979 and 1984 complaints to them.
The chancellor,
Monsignor John Dolan, spoke to the priest to whom the 1979 complaint was
made and he outlined what he had been told and what he had done. The
Columbans told Monsignor Dolan that they had no record of the 1979
complaint. Monsignor Dolan then told the young men involved that there was
no record of the complaint. Fr Maguire admitted to abusing the boys involved
in the 1979 complaint.
16.53
The Society raised the question of voluntary laicisation with Fr
Maguire while he was awaiting his trial in the UK. The Society encouraged
him to plead guilty. He was told that the Society had empathy for him but it
was being open with the civil authorities and that “there was and will not be
any cover-up”. The Society did co-operate with both the UK police and the
Gardaí.
16.54
In October 1997, the Society told Fr Dolan that the relevant superior
now wished to apologise to Archbishop Connell for highly recommending Fr
Maguire to the Archdiocese.
Fr Dolan, who knew very little about Fr
Maguire‟s activities, assured the Society that there was no need as he
considered that the superior had made the original recommendation in good
faith.
There was extensive communication between the solicitors for the
Archdiocese and the solicitors for the Society at this time.
16.55
The Society continued to examine the question of laicisation. They
were advised by a canon lawyer that “Compulsory Laicisation is a difficult
path to take and Rome are reluctant to go along with it”.
UK conviction 1998
16.56
In June 1998, Fr Maguire pleaded guilty in the UK courts to four
counts of indecent assault in 1976 and 1977 on two boys. He was sentenced
233
to 18 months imprisonment – nine months to be served and nine months on
licence.
16.57
When he was convicted, the Society in the UK issued a statement in
which it expressed its regret. The statement included the following points:
“(2) In 1974, because of doubts that had arisen about PM, medical
assessment and recommendations were sought in Ireland.
The
advice received was that he seemed to be improving and coming to
terms with problems. In the report, future involvement with young
people was not seen as a source of concern. With hindsight, this
advice proved incorrect and, tragically, the significance of a more
pessimistic medical opinion in 1976 was not always appreciated or
sufficiently taken into account in the years following.
(3) For the greater part of the time since then, PM has been assigned
to internal posts which did not involve contact with young people.
Because of the confidentiality observed in the handling of personal
records, succeeding superiors were not always aware of the medical
reports referred to above.
As a result, PM was on occasions
authorised to engage in pastoral work. In retrospect, the Society
should have been more vigilant and we regret those failures in
communication. We apologise unreservedly for the mistakes we have
made”.
16.58
The Society in Ireland also issued a statement, in which it expressed
its regret, reiterated the apology offered by the Society in the UK and gave a
helpline number. It stated “For the past six years Patrick Maguire has been
suspended from pastoral duties and may not now minister as a priest”.
16.59
In June 1998, Fr Maguire was assessed by the therapeutic facility as
being at significant risk of re-offending.
Ireland: conviction and laicisation 1999 - 2008
16.60
Fr Maguire was released from prison in the UK in March 1999. He
was immediately arrested and extradited to Ireland on ten charges of indecent
assault and two charges of buggery. Two of the indecent assault charges
234
related to the boys whose mother had complained in 1979.
The Society
provided the surety for bail. One of the conditions of the bail was that Fr
Maguire live in a specified Society house.
The Society laid down strict
conditions which meant that he was not allowed to leave the grounds without
being accompanied by another Society member and then only for specific
purposes; he could not speak to anyone under the age of 20 and could not
celebrate mass either publicly or privately.
16.61
In July 1999, the Society started the formal process of compulsory
laicisation.
The Society made it clear that it did not want to dismiss Fr
Maguire from membership of the Society.
It recognised that: “As the
priesthood provides the principal access to children we have been advised
that his laicisation would not only safeguard possible future victims but may
also mean that if PM is found guilty of offences in Ireland he may receive a
lighter sentence”. Archbishop Connell was informed and the process was
handled by the Dublin Metropolitan Tribunal (see Chapter 4).
16.62
In January 2000, Fr Maguire pleaded guilty to ten charges of indecent
assault – assaulting five boys in Sligo, Dublin and Louth from January 1972 to
June 1980.
The complainant who alleged buggery decided not to give
evidence, so those charges were withdrawn. He was convicted in March
2000 and sentenced to six years imprisonment on each charge, to run
concurrently, with a review after three years with the possibility of release
provided there were suitable therapeutic facilities available to receive him.
16.63
Another complaint emerged from Dublin in August 2000.
A parent
complained to the Gardaí but the young man did not follow up with a
statement because he did not believe he could follow through with a
prosecution and give evidence in court. The parent contacted the Society
and reported that Fr Maguire had become very friendly with the family and
particularly the son.
The parent said that “comments were made by
neighbours to the effect that the relationship was strange and had sexual
overtones” but the parent “totally disbelieved this at the time”.
16.64
In September 2000, the Dublin Metropolitan Tribunal decided that Fr
Maguire should be dismissed from the clerical state. He appealed to Rome
on the grounds that he had not been fully informed of the specific charges
235
against him or given adequate time or opportunity to defend himself. In June
2002, the Roman Rota tribunal decided that, rather than be dismissed from
the clerical state, Fr Maguire should be suspended from the priesthood for
nine years. The precise meaning of this decision was not totally clear to the
Society or, indeed, to canon lawyers. It was not clear, for example, whether
he would be allowed say mass privately. One canon lawyer took the view
that the Society could still make its own decision about his fitness to exercise
ministry. The Society has taken the view that the suspension precludes him
from saying private masses. Fr Maguire considers that he is entitled to do so.
16.65
Fr Maguire was released from prison in March 2003 having served
half of his sentence.
The judge directed that he live in secure
accommodation in the Society‟s house. There was some discussion about
the conditions imposed by the judge and the conditions that the Society felt it
could enforce. There are Church guidelines for religious groups who are
accepting convicted sex offenders back into their communities.
16.66
In its report to the court dealing with post release supervision, the
Probation and Welfare Service (PWS) reported that, among other things, they
had met the superiors of the Society in the house where Fr Maguire was to
live. The PWS recommended various supervision conditions including that Fr
Maguire live under the care of the Society and that he comply with the
directions of the Society.
16.67
The Society set up a circle of support and accountability. The PWS
was involved in monitoring him. It was agreed in 2004 that he could work
alone anywhere in the grounds and that he could visit Dublin twice a month,
having given notice to his superiors.
He was allowed to buy a car in
February 2005.
16.68
In 2004, two boys from Dublin complained to the Gardaí that they had
been abused by Fr Maguire in the late 1970s. Fr Maguire admitted that he
had abused them. He was charged with indecent assault and convicted in
February 2007. He received a three year sentence which was suspended for
six years (until 2013) on condition that he remain under the supervision of the
Probation and Welfare Service.
236
16.69
The Society of St Columban made civil settlements with a number of
complainants in Ireland and the UK. None of these was from the Archdiocese
of Dublin.
The Commission’s assessment
Church authorities
16.70
Complaints about Fr Maguire were handled very badly by his Society
over a period of about 20 years. Specific complaints to the bishop of Raphoe
in 1975, to a priest in the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979 and to the
Archbishop of Dublin in 1984 were also very badly handled. A number of
complaints seem to have been largely ignored or avoided; in other cases, the
response was to move him somewhere else. The Society knew at a relatively
early stage - at least in 1974 - that there was a problem. The Society paid for
extensive and expensive assessment and treatment for Fr Maguire between
1974 and 1996. However, for about 20 years, it did absolutely nothing to
prevent his access to children.
In a particularly disastrous move by the
Society, he was assigned to go around Ireland promoting the Columbans. He
did this by visiting schools and preaching at masses. This gave him access
to every Catholic Church congregation and to every Catholic school in the
country, in effect, to virtually every child in the country.
advantage of that access.
He duly took
Several Church authorities in Ireland and the UK
including the superiors of the Columbans and a number of bishops knew that
he was an abuser but it was more than 20 years after the first complaint that
appropriate action was taken to prevent his access to children. In recent
years the Society has taken steps to ensure that he does not have access to
children and is to be commended for supervising him and not expelling him
from the Society.
16.71
The Society told the Commission that it “fully accepts that very serious
mistakes were made” in its dealings with Fr Maguire.
The Commission
accepts that the structure of the Society militated against or, at least, did not
facilitate co-ordinated handling of the problem. However, it appears that the
culture of confidentiality, the over-arching concern for the welfare of the priest
and the avoidance of scandal were the major contributory factors to the quite
disastrous way in which this case was handled.
237
16.72
Archbishop Ryan was negligent in his dealings with Fr Maguire. It is
not clear who precisely was at fault for the failure to deal with the first
complaint to the Archdiocese in 1979 but it was someone from the
Archdiocese.
Archbishop Ryan‟s stated reason, as contemporaneously
reported to the Society by his secretary, for not following up complaints
received in 1984, that is, Fr Maguire‟s delicate position as secretary to the
Superior-General, is quite shocking. It appears that Archbishop Ryan got
different people within his administration to deal with child sexual abuse
complaints as they arose and, as a result, no one person knew the extent of
the problem. Bishop McFeely of Raphoe did report the problem accurately
but dealt with it by having Fr Maguire removed as quickly as possible.
16.73
It is the Commission‟s view that the Society acted properly in seeking
to laicise Fr Maguire while, at the same time, making it very clear that it
intended to retain, maintain and supervise him as a member of the Society.
The decision of the Roman Rota tribunal to change the decision of the Dublin
Metropolitan Tribunal from dismissal from the clerical state to nine years
suspension was, to put it at its mildest, unhelpful. It left the Society in a
position where his precise status was unclear.
Communication between Church authorities
16.74
Prior to 1997, there was inadequate communication between the
different parts of the Society. There was inadequate communication between
the Society and the Archdiocese.
The bishop of Raphoe, while he
immediately removed the problem from his diocese, did clearly and
unambiguously tell the Society what the problem was. However, through no
fault of his, his letter was not made available to the relevant people in the
Society who were supposed to be Fr Maguire‟s superiors.
State authorities
16.75
The Gardaí and the health boards acted appropriately in this case.
238
Chapter 17
Fr Ioannes*62
Introduction
17.1
Fr Ioannes was born in 1927 and ordained in June 1953.
in parishes in the Archdiocese from 1953 to 1988.
He served
He was in the USA from
1988 until 1993 when he was summoned home to deal with a complaint of
child sexual abuse. He has not been in ministry since then.
17.2
The Commission is aware of three complaints of child sexual abuse
and one of physical abuse against Fr Ioannes. These complaints all relate to
incidents in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
He has admitted to sexually
abusing three others but it is likely that there are more victims of both sexual
and physical abuse. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to a number of charges. The
Archdiocese has made a civil settlement with one victim and Fr Ioannes
personally paid compensation to another.
First Complaint, 1974
17.3
The first complaint against Fr Ioannes was made in 1974. There are
no records in the archdiocesan files about this complaint but there is no doubt
that it was made. The complaint was made by the parents of a young boy.
17.4
The mother of the boy told the Commission that she and her husband
discussed reporting the matter to the Gardaí at the time but decided against it
in their son‟s interest. “It would have been better not to go to the guards
because we never heard of anything like that before, neither of us and we
thought that we were the only ones”. They also wanted to protect the priest:
“in case it was scandal I suppose. That's the way we were instructed in those
days, you didn't give scandal and we went out of our way not to let anybody
know who it was”. They then decided that they had to report it to the Church
in the interest of other children.
17.5
The parents complained to a local priest who wrote a letter to the
Archbishop. This letter is not in the files of the Archdiocese but it was seen
by the complainant‟s father. Monsignor Glennon was asked to investigate the
matter. Monsignor Glennon met the boy‟s father. He then met Fr Ioannes.
62
This is a pseudonym.
239
He met the boy‟s father again and told him that Fr Ioannes admitted the
allegations and wanted to meet the family. The parents did not want to meet
him. Monsignor Glennon also told the parents that Fr Ioannes was being sent
for treatment. The mother thinks this did not happen as she saw him locally
very soon after. She did not tell anyone else about what had happened.
17.6
In fact, Fr Ioannes had been sent for a psychiatric assessment by
Monsignor Glennon, but not for treatment. The psychiatrist was told that the
allegation against Fr Ioannes was that he had taken an altar boy to the
pictures and later to his room where he was alleged to have indulged in
indecent behaviour and to have taken photographs. Monsignor Glennon had
spoken to Fr Ioannes who had admitted that there had been some “handling
of the organ”.
Fr Ioannes told the psychiatrist that he had had no previous
difficulties in his relationships with altar boys and “did not think anything like
this could happen to me”. (This subsequently transpired to be untrue and Fr
Ioannes later admitted that he had misled the psychiatrist). Based on what he
was told and on his own evaluation, the psychiatrist reported that he could not
find any evidence of serious psychiatric disorder or of any serious psychosexual maladjustment.
He was of the opinion that the incident appeared to
have been an isolated aberration.
Complaints of physical abuse, 1978
17.7
Sometime in 1978, complaints about Fr Ioannes behaving in a violent
or aggressive manner were made to his parish priest. In one incident Fr
Ioannes had knocked a young boy unconscious. The parish priest reported to
the Archbishop who asked Bishop O‟Mahony to deal with the matter. The
parish priest said that he thought that Fr Ioannes was subject to an
uncontrollable impulse and had psychotic tendencies. He was aware of other
incidents of violent/aggressive behaviour.
17.8
Bishop O‟Mahony sent Fr Ioannes back to the psychiatrist who had
assessed him in 1974.
Fr Ioannes attended the psychiatrist on several
occasions between September and December 1978.
Fr Ioannes assured
him that there had not been any sexual problems since they had last met in
1974.
The psychiatrist reported to Archbishop Ryan that Fr Ioannes had a
tendency to act impulsively but, after acting impulsively, he recognised his
aberration and tried to make amends. The psychiatrist was satisfied that “it
240
should therefore be safe and in fact advisable” to leave Fr Ioannes where he
was.
17.9
In 1979, Archbishop Ryan made inquiries about Fr Ioannes.
His
parish priest expressed concern that he was still behaving in an aggressive
manner. Bishop O‟Mahony met Fr Ioannes and it was agreed that he would
go back to the psychiatrist. Fr Ioannes saw the psychiatrist twice in 1980. It
is clear from the reports that the issue being addressed was his aggressive
behaviour and not child sexual abuse.
There was further correspondence
between the parish priest and the Archbishop over the next few years. In
1985, it seems that the parish priest thought that Fr Ioannes no longer had a
major problem with aggression. Fr Ioannes expressed his disappointment at
not being made a parish priest and he began to look for an appointment in the
USA. He had done holiday work in the USA a few times.
17.10
In October 1986, his parish priest prepared a draft reference for use
by the Archdiocese.
This included information on his problems with
aggression but did not mention the admitted incident of child sexual abuse in
1974. There is no evidence that the parish priest had any knowledge of the
1974 complaint, although it was known to the Archdiocese.
was sent by Archbishop McNamara to an American diocese.
The reference
Fr Ioannes
was not offered a position by this diocese.
San Diego, 1988
17.11
In June 1988, the Bishop of San Diego wrote to Archbishop Connell
asking him for a reference in respect of Fr Ioannes.
The reference which
was sent described Fr Ioannes as “an excellent priest in many ways”. It did
not mention the allegation of child sexual abuse or, indeed, the problems with
aggressive behaviour.
In a later letter about the practical details of the
arrangements, the Archbishop recommended Fr Ioannes as “a priest in good
standing.”
17.12
Fr Ioannes worked in San Diego from 1988 to 1992.
On his return,
Monsignor Stenson made inquiries about how he had fared in San Diego.
The report was less than flattering but there was no suggestion of any child
sexual abuse or aggressive behaviour.
want him back.
241
The Bishop of San Diego did not
Seattle
17.13
Fr Ioannes then sought an appointment in the archdiocese of Seattle.
This diocese asked the Archdiocese of Dublin for a comprehensive letter of
recommendation indicating, among other things, that he “is a priest in good
standing, and there has never been any charge of misconduct against him.
Please also indicate that you do not know of any behaviour on his part that
could cause scandal in your diocese, or in the Archdiocese of Seattle, if it
were to become publicly known”.
17.14
In June 1992, Monsignor Stenson replied to the Archbishop of Seattle
stating that Fr Ioannes was a priest in good standing but there was no
mention of misconduct or scandal.
A further letter from Seattle in July 1992
asked for a description and some examples of Fr Ioannes‟s “relationships with
others: men, women, youth, children”. The letter continued: “Did you ever
hear any criticism about the way he relates with others? Have questions,
rumor regarding celibacy or his relationship with others been raised? If so
please explain”.
In reply, Monsignor Stenson said that, in the past, there
had been some outbursts of temper with altar boys but “there has never been
any suggestion whatever of improper or immoral behaviour”.
Civil claim, 1993
17.15
In March 1993, the boy involved in the 1974 complaint, who was now
a young man, started a civil claim against the Archdiocese and Fr Ioannes.
He alleged that the sexual abuse he suffered had included buggery.
Fr
Ioannes was asked to come home from Seattle to deal with the allegation.
He was referred to Dr Patrick Walsh, director of psychological services,
Hospitaller Order of St John of God. In his letter to Dr Walsh, Monsignor
Stenson said:
“It appears now that he has had a history of paedophilia, beginning
when a curate in […] with one boy. Subsequently, he had involvement
with boys in [three other parishes]. As far as can be determined there
have been five or six boys in all. All that was known to us up to very
recently was one incident involving unseemly photographs of a boy
and occasional outbursts of physical violence with altar boys.”
242
17.16
Monsignor Stenson had discovered this information when he attended
a meeting with Fr Ioannes and the Archdiocesan solicitors. Fr Ioannes had
told them that the first abuse had occurred around 1961 and the last abuse in
1986. He admitted that he had abused the 1974 complainant but denied that
this had involved buggery. He had not told the psychiatrist about the pre1974 incidents, either when being assessed in relation to that incident or
when being assessed in respect of his unduly aggressive behaviour.
17.17
Fr Ioannes did not have an appointment in Dublin at this time. He was
living with a religious order. He was removed from ministry and was made a
beneficiary of the Clerical Fund Society (see Chapter 8).
17.18
Dr Walsh issued a report in June 1993. Fr Ioannes had admitted
abusing four boys. Dr Walsh considered that, because of his tendency to
deny and minimise, it was safer to leave open the possibility that he may have
abused others. He concluded that Fr Ioannes would require a therapeutic
programme which would need to involve some residential component and
eventually a long term plan for the future.
17.19
Fr Ioannes continued to live with the religious order. Suggestions that
he be appointed to a limited ministry were rejected by Archbishop Connell.
17.20
Fr Ioannes paid compensation to the 1974 complainant in July 1993.
The claim against the Archdiocese was withdrawn.
Garda investigation, 1994
17.21
In March 1994 the young man who had first complained in 1974 and
who had reached the civil settlement in 1993 made a complaint to the Gardaí.
He described how the complaint had been made in 1974 and his subsequent
dealings with Fr Ioannes and the Archdiocese. He also complained that he
had been indecently assaulted by a priest who his family thought was
involved in investigating the complaint against Fr Ioannes. This priest was Fr
Dominic Savio Boland (see Chapter 32).
17.22
The Gardaí contacted Monsignor Stenson who gave them Fr
Ioannes‟s address. Fr Ioannes was arrested in May 1994.
He declined to
comment on the allegations. The Gardaí interviewed Monsignor Stenson who
243
told them that he “was not at liberty as Chancellor to disclose what files we
may or may not have on individual priests”.
The garda investigations
concluded that the complainant was genuine and sincere in his complaint. It
was noted by the Gardaí that Fr Ioannes and the Church authorities had
offered little or no assistance to the Garda investigation. In August 1994, the
DPP decided not to prosecute. The DPP‟s office stated that “This Office is
not prepared to look beyond the delay aspect” in the case. The complainant
was described as being “guilty of wholly unjustified and excessive delay as far
as a criminal charge is concerned and his allegations cannot now be
considered”.
17.23
Meanwhile, Fr Ioannes was attending Dr Walsh for individual therapy.
Dr Walsh reported in December 1994 that it might be possible for Fr Ioannes
to be appointed to a chaplaincy under certain conditions. Consideration was
again given to finding a limited ministry for Fr Ioannes. In February 1995
Monsignor Stenson consulted Dr Walsh about a possible appointment to a
parish. Dr Walsh did not think this was advisable.
Before any decision was
made on an appointment to a convent or hostel, another complaint was
received.
Second complaint, 1995
17.24
Another young man made a complaint to the Gardaí in October 1995.
His initial statement was misplaced or lost. He alleged that he had been
sexually abused by Fr Ioannes during the late 1970s/early 1980s.
17.25
Around this time there was media coverage of the civil settlement
which Fr Ioannes had made in 1993. Both Fr Ioannes and the complainant
were named in the media. The Archdiocese issued a statement explaining
that the settlement had been paid by the priest and not by the Archdiocese.
It seems that Fr Ioannes moved out of the religious order‟s house where he
was living when the story broke.
17.26
The Gardaí were unable to contact Fr Ioannes. They were told – it is
not clear by whom – that he had been sent to live in St John of God‟s. This
was not the case. According to the Garda files, they contacted St John of
God‟s and were told that Fr Ioannes had gone to the USA for treatment. St.
John of God‟s was requested to contact the Gardaí when Fr Ioannes returned
244
from the USA. St John of God‟s has no record of this interaction with the
Gardaí and told the Commission that this request was “not formalised to the
superior of the house”.
17.27
Fr Ioannes had admitted to abusing the young man who made this
criminal complaint when he made admissions to Monsignor Stenson and the
archdiocesan legal advisors in 1993. Nothing further happened.
17.28
In late 2002, the complainant looked for information on the state of the
investigation.
As the original statement had been mislaid, a new statement
of complaint was taken in January 2003. He stated that there were about six
incidents of abuse over a three-year period when he was between 11 and 14
years old. The abuse involved fondling of the genitals.
17.29
In November 1995, Fr Ioannes‟s name was one of the 17 given to the
Gardaí by the Archdiocese (see Chapter 5).
1996
17.30
From November 1995 to May 1996, Fr Ioannes was in a therapeutic
facility in the USA. In February 1996, this facility reported that Fr Ioannes
was “making excellent progress” and “possesses a good level of insight to
have realized these psychological dynamics”. It was recommended that he
remain in treatment so as not to lose “his current therapeutic momentum”. In
March 1996, Fr Ioannes wrote to Archbishop Connell asking questions about
his future. He said that he wished to serve as chaplain to a nursing home and
suggested that he remain in the therapeutic facility to prepare for retirement.
In March 1996, the facility said that Fr Ioannes continued to make progress
and had been encouraged to write and seek a limited ministry.
17.31
The second complainant, whose complaint to the Gardaí ran into the
sand when the Gardaí were told that Fr Ioannes had been transferred to a
therapeutic centre in the USA, began a civil claim against the Archdiocese in
April 1996. The Archdiocese told the therapeutic facility that “it would be very
unwise to give [Fr Ioannes] any kind of limited pastoral assignment on his
return”.
245
17.32
In June 1996, the therapeutic facility, in a somewhat surprising
development, having regard to its earlier reports, stated that Fr Ioannes was a
“fixated pedophile” and recommended that he attend individual therapy once
a week for some time. The Archbishop was advised to identify someone from
his office to whom Fr Ioannes would be accountable. The conclusion was
that, if his internal work was supported by external supports, the likelihood of
his re-offending “is almost nil”.
17.33
Fr Ioannes returned from the USA in June 1996 and, at the request of
the Archdiocese, was given temporary accommodation in the St John of
God‟s community house in the hospital grounds.
The Gardaí were not
notified by St John of God‟s. The Archdiocese did not know the Gardaí were
looking for him at this stage. The advisory panel advised the Archbishop that
Fr Ioannes should be requested to maintain a low profile.
When it came to
the attention of the advisory panel later that month that Fr Ioannes had left his
supervised accommodation and that his whereabouts were unknown, it
advised that the Gardaí be notified immediately.
Fr Ioannes wrote to
Archbishop Connell in respect of his hasty departure and requested leave of
absence for a year.
It appears that efforts were being made by the
Archdiocese to contact Fr Ioannes.
notified that he had left Ireland.
In early July 1996, the Gardaí were
The Archdiocese withdrew his financial
support in August 1996.
1997
17.34
In July 1997 Fr Ioannes contacted Monsignor Stenson setting out his
reasons for fleeing and promising to return and co-operate fully. When he
returned to Ireland he again lived at the community centre in St John of
God‟s.
It was decided that Dr Walsh of the Granada Institute would resume
responsibility for his therapy and that Fr Ioannes himself would contact the
Gardaí to advise of his return.
Monsignor Dolan wrote to the Gardaí to tell
them of his return. Unfortunately, the Gardaí did not pursue their inquiries
into the second complainant‟s complaint at this time.
It appears that the
original investigating garda had retired and, somehow, the file on the
complaint was lost.
The Archdiocese reinstated financial support for Fr
Ioannes in August 1997.
246
17.35
In October 1997, the issue of Fr Ioannes‟s aftercare was discussed.
He was adamant that it was within the remit of the USA therapeutic facility but
the Archdiocese had made a decision to put the Granada Institute in charge.
This meeting became fraught and ended with an agreement that Monsignor
Dolan would contact the USA facility to indicate what the Archdiocese had
decided and to request their help. Accommodation was found for Fr Ioannes
in an apartment which was previously occupied by Fr Ivan Payne (see
Chapter 24). When Fr Ioannes found out that the furniture in the apartment
had been previously owned by Fr Payne, he demanded that it be removed
and fresh furniture obtained. The Archdiocese agreed to this request.
He
lived alone in the apartment. A support team was put in place and he was to
remain in touch with the Archdiocese. He was treated as a retired priest. He
remained there until October 2002.
17.36
In April 2002, the diocese of San Diego issued a statement to RTE in
which it quoted Archbishop Connell‟s 1988 recommendation of Fr Ioannes. In
October 2002, the Archdiocese issued a statement about this.
The
Archdiocese said that when Archbishop Connell gave the recommendation to
the diocese of San Diego in 1988, he had no knowledge of the 1974
complaint. There was no record of such a complaint in the Archdiocesan
files. The statement accepted that the absence of a record was a serious
deficiency. The Prime Time programme Cardinal Secrets was transmitted in
October 2002 and featured the story of Fr Ioannes.
Fr Ioannes left the
country just before the programme was transmitted.
Physical abuse complaint
17.37
In November 2002, another complaint was made.
This time the
complainant was the young man who had been seriously physically assaulted
by Fr Ioannes in 1978 and about whom the parish priest had reported to the
Archdiocese.
The young man said that the incident occurred around March
or April 1978.
Fr Ioannes had kicked and punched him causing him to lose
consciousness. He was seen by his GP at the time and was off school for a
week.
The parish priest had visited him. His father had gone to the garda
station to make a complaint but, having had a conversation with a sergeant
he knew there, it was decided not to pursue the matter.
247
17.38
Once again, the Gardaí could not contact Fr Ioannes because he had
left the country. Various attempts were made by the Archdiocese to try to find
him. His diocesan allowance was cut off in January 2003.
17.39
In January 2003, the second complainant made a fresh statement to
the Gardaí as his original statement could not be found. His brother also
made a statement alleging that he had been sexually abused by Fr Ioannes.
17.40
Fr Ioannes returned to Dublin in August 2003 and took up residence at
his previous accommodation. He agreed to be interviewed by the Gardaí but
did not turn up. He went to Bundoran towards the end of August 2003 and
then went abroad again.
17.41
He returned to Dublin in 2008. In May 2009, just as this report was
being finalised, he pleaded guilty to a number of charges of sexual assault.
The Commission’s assessment
Archdiocese
17.42
The handling of the initial complaint in 1974 was quite simply
disastrous and typical of its time. Nothing was done even though Fr Ioannes
admitted his guilt. He was free to commit other offences and this he duly did.
The failure to do anything was compounded by the failure to maintain any
proper record of the complaint.
17.43
All of the letters recommending Fr Ioannes to dioceses in the USA in
the 1980s either do not mention or gloss over the problem of his violence and
aggression.
17.44
Cardinal Connell has stated that he had no knowledge of the 1974
complaint when he wrote the reference for the bishop of San Diego in 1988.
The Commission accepts that this is so.
The details of that complaint and
the report of the psychiatrist were not in the archives.
A copy of the
psychiatrist‟s report was provided to the Archdiocese in 1993.
17.45
The Commission also accepts that Monsignor Stenson had no
knowledge of the 1974 complaint when he wrote to the Archbishop of Seattle.
It is notable that the diocese of Seattle was, in 1992, diligent in looking for
248
detailed information about priests coming to work there.
Effectively, that
diocese did force the Dublin Archdiocese to admit the problems about
physical aggression.
Gardaí
17.46
The Gardaí dealt properly with the 1994 complaint.
However, the
Garda handling of the 1995 complaint was most unsatisfactory. The
prosecution of the investigation was haphazard and desultory. The statement
made by the complainant appears to have been lost and no attempt to
redress the situation was made until the complainant returned to the Gardaí
to inquire as to the status of the investigation in 2002. No steps were taken
on either of the occasions when Fr Ioannes returned to the country, even
though the Gardaí were notified of his presence by the Archdiocese. Despite
the re-activation of the complaint in 2002/2003, Fr Ioannes lived in Ireland
untroubled by the law for a considerable period before he left the jurisdiction.
249
Fr Tyrus*63
Chapter 18
Introduction
18.1
Fr Tyrus was ordained in the 1960s and had a problem with celibacy
from the start of his priesthood. He sought laicisation in the 1970s due to his
inability to adhere to the obligations of celibacy.
Psychological report
18.2
Fr Tyrus was interviewed by a priest psychologist in the 1970s. The
psychologist sent a report to Bishop O‟Mahony. The psychologist concluded:
“It would seem to me that [Fr Tyrus] has not at this time any final and
total commitment to celibacy. It is also my opinion that his undertaking
of celibacy in the first instance was in some sense, perhaps even
unconsciously, a conditional undertaking…
He told me that he was reprimanded by the Principal of a school in
which he was teaching for his relationship with a seventeen year old,
and he is currently deeply involved with a twenty-one year old. There
were apparently other liaisons also. The most surprising aspect of his
own accounts of these matters is his apparent lack of concern for the
girls involved.”
The psychologist expressed the view that the priest would not be able to
sustain celibacy because of almost nine years of “rather frequent breaches”.
18.3
Following this meeting Fr Tyrus applied for and was given a year‟s
leave of absence.
During this time he applied for a job as a youth worker. In
order to obtain this job he needed a reference and he approached Bishop
O‟Mahony for this. Bishop O‟Mahony gave him one in which he said:
“I am happy to recommend [Fr Tyrus] as a person suitable for
appointment; [Fr Tyrus] has wide experience in dealing with young
people.
I have no doubt he possesses the requisite qualities and
personality for youth work. He should prove particularly successful in
coping
with
young
persons
relationship problems”.
63
This is a pseudonym.
250
with
serious
behavioural
and/or
18.4
Subsequently, in April 1978 a public sector organisation wrote to
Archbishop Ryan regarding Fr Tyrus‟s suitability to work in an area of the public
services that was not related to youth work. The organisation supplied the
Archbishop with a questionnaire to be completed. Bishop O‟Mahony advised
the Archbishop to return the questionnaire unfilled and to inform the
organisation that a reference would be supplied by him.
Subsequently, Fr
Tyrus was employed by this organisation.
18.5
In July 1978, Fr Tyrus sought to be laicised. His request for laicisation
referred to his difficulty in keeping the vow of celibacy. One of his witnesses
who gave evidence in the laicisation process referred to his relationship with
girls. In 1980 his petition for laicisation was granted.
18.6
In 2007 the Child Protection Service notified the Gardaí and the HSE
of Fr Tyrus‟s background. The Gardaí indicated that there was no evidence of
behaviour of a criminal nature.
The Commission’s assessment
18.7
The Commission has grave concerns about the fact that Bishop
O‟Mahony gave a reference about Fr Tyrus when he sought a job working with
young people at a time when Bishop O‟Mahony was aware that Fr Tyrus had
had a relationship with a 17-year-old girl when he was a teacher.
Bishop
O‟Mahony told the Commission that there was nothing to indicate that the
relationship with the 17 year old was a sexual one. The Commission considers
that the description provided by the priest psychologist makes it abundantly
clear that the relationship was sexual.
251
64
19.1
19.2
19.3
19.4
64
252
19.5
19.6
19.7
19.8
19.9
253
19.10
19.11
19.12
19.13
19.14
254
19.15
19.16
19.17
19.18
255
19.19
19.20
19.21
19.22
256
19.23
19.24
257
19.25
19.26
19.27
19.28
258
19.29
19.30
19.31
259
19.32
19.33
19.34
19.35
260
19.36
19.37
19.38
261
19.39
19.40
19.41
19.42
19.43
262
19.44
19.45
19.46
19.47
263
19.48
19.49
19.50
19.51
264
19.52
19.53
19.54
265
19.55
19.56
19.57
19.58
266
19.59
19.60
19.61
19.62
19.63
19.64
267
19.65
19.66
19.67
19.68
268
19.69
19.70
19.71
19.72
269
19.73
19.74
19.75
270
19.76
19.77
19.78
19.79
19.80
271
19.81
19.82
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19.84
272
19.85
19.86
19.87
19.88
19.89
273
19.90
19.91
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274
19.93
19.94
19.95
19.96
19.97
19.98
275
19.99
19.100
19.101
276
19.102
19.103
19.104
19.105
19.106
19.107
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19.108
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19.115
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19.119
279
19.120
19.121
19.122
19.123
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280
19.125
19.126
19.127
19.128
281
Chapter 20
Fr
Introduction
20.1
65
20.2
66
Pro-Cathedral, 1971 - 1978
20.3
Fr
served in a number of parishes and was a curate
in the Pro-Cathedral at the time of the first formal complaint.
20.4
The Commission has received information from non-Church sources
alleging that he sexually abused at least one altar boy prior to this complaint
being received. In very recent years, two men have come forward to both the
Church and the Gardaí complaining of having been singled out, groomed and
sexually assaulted, in one instance to the extent of buggery, by him in the
presbytery and the altar boys‟ changing rooms during his time as curate in the
Pro-Cathedral.
20.5
Initially Fr
lived in the main presbytery attached to the Pro-
Cathedral. He shared this house with the Diocesan Administrator and other
priests.
Later he moved into a presbytery where he had his own self-
contained accommodation. While there he installed an oratory on the ground
floor at the back of the house.
During his time in the Pro-Cathedral, Fr
was in charge of the altar boys, a task which he had also performed
65
66
282
in his previous parishes.
The Pro-Cathedral is the diocesan Church.
Because of the volume and complexity of services in the Pro-Cathedral, it
needed a large number of altar boys and those selected tended to stay on for
longer than most altar boys did in other parishes.
Fr
held prayer
meetings with altar boys in the oratory which he had installed and boys
frequently visited him in the presbytery
20.6
A former altar boy from the Pro-Cathedral gave the Commission the
following description of Fr
activities with altar boys:
"I suppose there were about 20 of us as altar boys, and I don't think
it's exaggerated to say that for the most part we loved Fr
. He
just seemed to be a great priest, very interested in young people - this
all sounds very sinister looking back now - whereas the other priests there were some priests we liked, some we didn't. He organised
games. He organised holidays. And I suppose a lot of boys who were
there would have been from the inner city. I lived in the Pro-Cathedral
Parish at the time. ... a lot of the kids would never have had a holiday
and most people around there wouldn't have had a car.
Fr.
kept his connection to Eadestown67 where he seemed to
be very friendly with many families there, and often on Sundays he'd
take a combination of the altar boys and some of the local kids from
the parish beagling - I presume you know what beagling is, running
after an unfortunate hare with hounds. But it was great exercise. It
was getting into the country for kids who some of them would never
have been out of the city before.
So he was in charge of the altar boys, as I said, and I suppose there
would have been a group of us who were older than the younger ones
and I never was aware at that time of anything untoward. He certainly
was never in any way inappropriate in his behaviour towards me. I
have asked one of my brothers and apart from now looking back ,as I
look back as an adult, I would say that he spent an inappropriate
amount of his time with children most definitely ... But to us as boys it
seemed, it really seemed wonderful actually…
My memory is, and he'd do it, people would get a turn at going
beagling so he was very fair in that way. But I remember in our house
67
A parish in which he had earlier been a curate.
283
it would mean having early lunch on Sunday and being in a rush to get
out by maybe 1:00 o'clock down to the beagling, which was always
around Punchestown, Eadestown. Maybe five or six children, they
were children that would probably be from about eight or nine to
maybe 16. The beagling would happen and then it would be back to
some of his former parishioners' houses, a change of clothes and I'd
say now that he imposed on some of those people to feed all these
kids from the city. So that's what it was, that's my memory of it…
I would have been on one holiday in Kerry, which would have been his
first from the Pro-Cathedral, his first to organise. So that was probably
1972. He had an arrangement with …there was a farm …near Tralee.
A lady there […] and she had, I think it was a bungalow on her farm
and she rented it out as a holiday home.
would have had a committee of people from
Palmerstown. He was in Palmerstown in a previous appointment and
there was […] a married couple...There was somebody else […] from
Palmerstown and I can't remember his first name. And they would
have helped - they would have accompanied and they would have run
the kind of catering side of the holiday. I think it was for a week and I
don't know how many years but Fr
a number of years… Fr
would have done that over
always had kind of somewhere
outside the Pro-Cathedral to [go to]; at one stage he had a caravan, at
another stage he had a trailer tent."
20.7
The same witness recalled a number of incidents some of which were
reported to him by others and which in hindsight struck him as strange or odd.
" at one stage a number of the boys, I think it was to Brittas Bay they
went, and it was around the time when streaking was fairly common at
football matches… Fr.
said at midnight come on let's have a
midnight streak. But, again, that was it and none of the boys at the
time paid too much attention to it."
20.8
He spoke of another occasion when his brother and his brother's
friend were on holiday with Fr
:
"they would have been probably 12 or 13 at the time, they shared a
room and after they went to bed, they left the light on and they were
284
talking and messing. And he said just at one stage they saw Fr
looking in the window and wondered how long he had been
there… he just thought that that was a bit kind of weird.
Then there was another time when I think it was a group of them
together and Fr
started to wrestle with them and he thought
that there was something just not quite right about it. But it didn't go
any - it was some kind of wrestling or tickling or something."
First formal complaint,
20.9
20.10
285
286
20.11
287
20.12
20.13
Second complaint, 1978
20.14
The following year, 1978, there was another complaint.
This
complaint was handled on behalf of the Archdiocese by Bishop James
Kavanagh.
The only evidence available to the Commission is Bishop
Kavanagh‟s handwritten memo of his interview with the young complainant.
20.15
The memo records that the young boy came from another parish to
take part in the Easter ceremonies as an altar server. He was abused while
taking part in practice for the ceremonies. The boy described how he was
separated from his friends and brought to the priest‟s room.
The abuse
followed a very similar pattern to that which occurred to the first complainant.
288
20.16
Afterwards, Fr
invited the boy to be an altar boy in the Pro-
Cathedral. He told him about hunting and catching hares and rabbits with
beagle hounds. He took his photograph and his contact details. All the boy‟s
friends had left the church by the time he left the priest‟s room and he went
back to school alone.
20.17
It is not clear how this matter came to the notice of the Archdiocese
but it is likely that the boy reported the incident to someone in his school.
There is much in the boy‟s account which was capable of independent
verification:
the fact of his attendance on the particular day in the ProCathedral;
his late and lone return to his school;
his presence in Fr
private quarters;
the piece of paper on which Fr
noted his details;
the taking of his photograph.
There is no evidence that any such inquiries were undertaken.
documents suggest that Fr
Indeed the
was not even questioned about the
matter at that time. The boy‟s account was forwarded to Archbishop Ryan by
Bishop Kavanagh with the comment, “I presume we can have a word about
this sometime”.
Third complaint, 1978
20.18
The third complaint came to the Archdiocese by a somewhat
circuitous route.
In late 1977, a woman phoned Dr Maurice Reidy, a former
staff member of Clonliffe College, and told him that an unnamed priest had
sexually assaulted her six-year-old son. Dr Reidy‟s recollection, when asked
about the matter a year after the complaint was made, was that her complaint
was that the priest had lain with her son and there was heavy breathing. Dr
Reidy‟s explanation for his failure to do anything about the complaint at the
time he received it was that he had reservations about the woman‟s capability
as a witness. She was, in his estimation, nervous, highly strung, and very
innocent of sexual matters for a married woman. He told the Archdiocese in
November 1978 that he advised the woman not to let the priest into her home
289
again.
As the woman did not mention the matter to him on two subsequent
occasions when he met her, he considered the matter at an end.
20.19
Contrary to Dr Reidy‟s assumptions, the woman continued to have
concerns and, in July 1978 and again in September 1978, she confided in a
female friend the nature of the complaint. Fr
had visited her home
on a number of occasions. The last time he was in her home, a female helper
employed in the house entered her six-year-old son‟s bedroom and found Fr
lying on the child who was naked on his bed. Fr
tried to
pass it off as a game. It was reported that the little boy later remarked that Fr
..............was choking him and that he thought priests were holy.
20.20
It is not clear from the papers precisely how the Archdiocesan
authorities came to investigate this incident; perhaps the second woman had
more standing within the Church hierarchy than the woman about whom Dr
Reidy was so dismissive. In any event, in November 1978, Canon McMahon
was once again sent out to inquire. Interestingly, he did not interview either
the boy or his mother or indeed the female employee who had witnessed the
event. He did interview Dr Reidy to whom the complaint had first been made
and the woman to whom the complaint had subsequently been made, but not
those who had direct knowledge of the incident. Canon McMahon reported to
Archbishop Ryan:
20.21
290
20.22
20.23
20.24
Canon McMahon assured Fr
that the Archbishop was
anxious to help him. He advised him that he should see a psychiatrist who
would forward a report to Archbishop Ryan. Fr
was not enthusiastic
about the prospect of attending a psychiatrist. He mentioned that he had had
a previous unhelpful meeting with a psychiatrist. In the circumstances, it was
strange that he was not asked about the context in which he had had a
previous need to see a psychiatrist. He suggested to Canon McMahon that
he would ask the unnamed priest psychologist to furnish a report to the
Archbishop.
psychiatrist.
On Canon McMahon‟s insistence he agreed to see a
Canon McMahon arranged for Fr
to see Professor
Noel Walsh, Consultant Psychiatrist, at St Vincent‟s Hospital.
Canon
McMahon called on Professor Walsh to fill him in on the background.
20.25
Professor Walsh‟s report to Canon McMahon makes no reference to a
history of events given to him by Canon McMahon. The history given by Fr
291
Xwas of the onset of a problem three years earlier, which would
indicate 1975 or 1976,
.
as “an atypical
Professor Walsh characterised the history given by Fr
factor in this man‟s history in that patients who present with this problem
usually do so much earlier in their lives and they tend to have a persistent
pattern”.
The incidents were attributed to depression.
concluded that Fr
Professor Walsh
should be allowed to continue in pastoral work and
to continue to attend him at six-to-eight-weekly intervals on a follow-up basis
for six months to a year. The contents of Professor Walsh‟s report raise the
question, once more, as to whether or not Fr
was telling the truth
about his history of offending, yet there is no evidence that this question was
ever asked. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that Fr
continued to attend Professor Walsh as recommended.
20.26
20.27
20.28
20.29
292
20.30
68
.
20.31
68
293
20.32
Stroud, 1981
20.33
It took a complaint from the parents of one boy to the Gardaí in March
1981 to bring matters to a head. The Commission has not been able to
locate any of the details of this complaint in either garda or archdiocesan files.
However Archbishop Ryan records that Bishop Kavanagh called to the
parents and asked them not to press charges against Fr
on the basis
that he would be withdrawn from the parish to get treatment. Apparently, the
parents eventually agreed to this and the complaint to the Gardaí was not
pursued.
294
20.34
Archbishop Ryan then did withdraw Fr
from the parish. He
asked Bishop Brendan Comiskey to make contact with the Servants of the
Paraclete.
20.35
Bishop Comiskey believes he became involved in the Fr
case
because he knew something about the Servants of the Paraclete‟s house in
Stroud in England from his previous position as secretary general of the
Conference of Major Religious Superiors, (now known as the Conference of
Religious of Ireland - CORI), a position which he held until his appointment as
auxillary bishop of Dublin in 1979. Though Bishop Comiskey knew that there
were serious allegations being made against Fr
, he told the
Commission that he was not told the details or the extent of the problem. The
discrete task given to Bishop Comiskey was to find out from Stroud whether
or not they would be able to treat this man and if so, what they would require
in order to accept him. Bishop Comiskey established that there were three
preconditions to Fr
acceptance by the Servants of the Paraclete:
They required a “letter of support” from the Archdiocese stating that Fr
.................was a priest of the diocese and that the Archdiocese would
be willing to receive him back as soon as he was judged fit to resume
ministry.
They required a description of his difficulties with some emphasis on
“external damage” done in his ministry. The purpose of this document
was to enable them to confront Fr
with tangible evidence of
the effect of his misconduct on his ministry.
They required the name, address and telephone number of his
psychiatrist so as to enable their psychiatrist to make contact with him.
20.36
Archbishop Ryan met Fr
and told him that he was being
withdrawn from ministry and being sent to Stroud. Archbishop Ryan sent a
“letter of support” to Stroud as requested.
confidential memo setting out Fr
He also sent a three-page
difficulties, as Archbishop Ryan
saw them, as well as the “external damage” caused by his misconduct. This
reveals that Archbishop Ryan was fully aware, at that time, of the criminal
nature of Fr
misconduct and, further, he was aware that such
misconduct was damaging to children. He summarised the damage done as
follows:
295
“1. The most distressing feature of Father
failures is the effect
they are likely to have on the young people involved. Apparently their
ages range, in so far as I know, from 6 – 16.
2. The parents involved have, for the most part, reacted with what can
only be described as incredible charity. In several cases, they were
quite apologetic about having to discuss the matter and were as much
concerned for the priest‟s welfare as for their child and other children.
3. A particularly disconcerting feature was that access to the families
was usually through acquaintanceship based on a variety of good
works, whether of the parents or the children in question, e.g., altar
boys; one or other parent involved in the management of a school (a
father felt bound to withdraw his children from the local school
because of what happened to one of his children); in another case, the
mother was involved in charitable work in the parish.
Having got
access to the home through this acquaintanceship, Father
abused a young son of six years of age.”
20.37
The Archdiocese provided Stroud with the name of the psychologist.
Stroud asked him for a report which he provided. Fr
left his house in
at the end of March 1981. Another curate working in
at the
time gave evidence to the Commission. He said he helped Fr
pack. Fr
to
told this curate that he was being sent away and that he
felt he was being badly treated.
20.38
Archbishop Ryan told this curate that Fr
was being taken out
of the parish because of his activities. The Archbishop was not specific but
the curate was left in no doubt that it had something to do with child sexual
abuse. The removal of Fr
meant that this priest was now alone in
the parish as the parish priest was away. When the parish priest returned, he
was met by his young curate, who told him of the events which in the curate‟s
view, were “a real bombshell”.
The parish priest‟s main reaction was one of
relief. He told the curate that he had had complaints about Fr
and
his behaviour with young people. There were no names mentioned but he
had referred them to a vicar general of the diocese, Monsignor Glennon. The
parish priest did not say what, if anything, had been done as a result of that,
but he said that he had received another complaint or complaints, and, on
that second occasion, he had gone to Bishop Kavanagh.
296
20.39
The Archdiocese told those who inquired about Fr
sudden
disappearance that he had gone away for treatment for throat cancer and to
ask for prayers for him. This was a plausible explanation as Fr
had
had problems with throat polyps which frequently led him to interrupt his
celebration of mass to drink water.
20.40
Fr
in April 1981.
was brought to Stroud by his brother, Fr
He spent four months there.
The programme
undertaken was apparently designed to enable him to come to understand
the factors which led to his sexual abuse of boys so as to enable him to
control his urges. In the early part of his course, his doctors were of the
view that he was merely going through the motions so as to get out of
Stroud and back to Dublin as soon as possible. His problem was identified
as being a need to dominate and control, particularly at times when he had
been put down or made to feel inferior and useless in his work. In an
interim report sent to Archbishop Ryan in July 1981, Stroud summarised
the position:
“In conclusion I would say that Fr.
shows a marked improvement over
the time he came here. His self-possession and sensitivity has increased
and he seems far more mature in his relationships with others. He is
much more aware of his weakness and its power over him and wants very
much to learn increasing control over it. The extent to which this is still a
cerebral understanding and control and to what extent it is a real deep
realisation and commitment only time will show.”
20.41
During his period in Stroud, Fr
wrote on three occasions to
Archbishop Ryan. The letters do not show any remorse for the damage he
had inflicted on numerous children as well as on his Church.
familiarity in tone and the self-serving pieties are striking.
The over-
For example, he
addressed the Archbishop as „Dermot‟ which is very unusual.
In one letter
he compares his experience in Stroud to “Christ‟s victimhood experience”.
He also tellingly refers to his stay in Stroud as a “retreat” rather than a course
of treatment.
297
20.42
Following four months of treatment, a final report was issued by
Stroud in July 1981. It stated:
“We feel reasonably confident that he now has the necessary
awareness of his particular difficulty and both the knowledge of
himself and the resources necessary to make a new and fruitful start
on his priestly ministry.
He will undoubtedly need a support system to enable him to continue
and deepen the growth that he has begun here, and a work
environment that does not pose too much of a stress in terms of his
particular weakness. While not wanting to appear over confident with
regards to this, we do feel that Fr.
has shown a real desire and
determination to take the necessary steps to ensure that it will not
continue to pose a real threat to his carrying out of his priestly ministry
to which he is clearly deeply committed and called.”
Clogher Road, 1981 - 1983
20.43
In September 1981, Archbishop Ryan appointed Fr
as curate
in Clogher Road parish. This letter of appointment, like the letter in respect of
, makes no reference to his previous difficulties or to his recent
treatment for them. Fr
thanked the Archbishop for his appointment
and for his “kindness to me when I was sick”. Once again, there is nothing to
indicate that Fr
had any insight into his condition nor was there any
discernible „firm purpose of amendment‟, to use the Church‟s own words in
relation to remorse and contrition.
20.44
This time, however, his new parish priest was given some limited
information about his problems. Archbishop Ryan told Fr James Kelly that,
while Fr
was in the Pro-Cathedral, he was in the habit of inviting
young boys into his private oratory. Fr Kelly was not told anything about his
recent misbehaviour in
.
Fr Kelly told the Commission that the
instructions given to him by Archbishop Ryan were:
to ensure that Fr
did not create an oratory in his house in
Clogher Road, and
to contact the Archbishop immediately in the event that Fr
stepped out of line in any respect.
298
20.45
No other steps appear to have been put in place for the monitoring of
Fr
. While he maintained he had a support team in place consisting
of a spiritual advisor, a psychiatrist and two priest friends, he was never
required to identify these people to the Archdiocese. He was once again
allowed to occupy a house on his own. His parish priest specifically told the
Commission that he did not consider it his duty to monitor who was going in
and out of the house.
stepped into the role of the previous curate
and in that capacity was given free access to the schools of the parish. No
information was given to the three other priests who were ministering in the
parish. Fr
was given charge of the confirmation class in one of the
schools and it was from that source that the next official complaint arose.
20.46
Before that formal complaint was made in or about May 1982, there
was a series of events in January and February 1982 which should have
caused serious concern, if not alarm, within the Church authorities.
was due to return to Stroud for an up-to-date assessment.
Fr
He
decided not to go and it took strenuous efforts by a number of people,
including the Archbishop, to persuade him to go for a few days.
Stroud
considered a longer stay was needed.
20.47
The report from Stroud must have been a source of worry for
Archbishop Ryan because, notwithstanding the four months of treatment that
he had undergone in 1981, Fr
now, in early 1982, was showing
resentment at having to attend Stroud and was intent on presenting the best
possible picture of himself rather than facing the problems which he had.
Stroud‟s overall impression was that Fr
did not want any long term
supervision over him. He was in fact working for effect, attempting to give the
right impression, rather then being honest about where he was.
He was
asked to give the team in Stroud the names of his psychiatrist and spiritual
director and a release of information so that they could forward to his
psychiatrist a copy of the report and other information that they felt might be
necessary to assist him in his work. Fr
refused to divulge their
names ostensibly because he was not sure that they would be willing to have
their names known to Stroud. It is a remarkable fact that throughout this
period Fr
was never obliged to disclose to anyone the identities of
the support team which he claimed to have put in place.
299
20.48
Stroud drew up a contract for Fr
to sign which detailed the
sort of provisions that they felt were necessary “to enable him to function fully
and happily as a priest and to grow and develop as a person”. It was planned
that the contract would be signed on Fr
next visit to Stroud which
was due to take place in April 1982. The contract was never signed.
The
draft contract had five main provisions; the two which were always likely to
cause most difficulty for Fr
were those which required that the two
priest friends who were to supervise his adherence to the contract were to be
identified to the Archdiocese and that any group of priests with whom he
worked would be required to be made aware of his weakness so as to assist
him in avoiding what might be termed „occasions of sin‟.
20.49
As the time approached for his return visit to Stroud in April 1982, Fr
again tried to avoid returning despite having agreed to do so in
February 1982. He told Archbishop Ryan:
“I have a support team set up here since October. I frequently visit a
very well qualified, compassionate and helpful psychiatrist. Also
frequently I visit a highly trained and spiritual, spiritual director. Both of
them know each other and live within fifteen minutes of me, and they
have read my case history which I gave them in October. I have a few
priests who keep constant contact with me. I feel that these people
understand the scene in which I live. I have trust in them. They are
challenging and helpful.
My English therapist and lecturer helped me to come to the stage
where I am at now. I must be grateful to them for that.
I feel that the people who can help me best now are the team that I
refer to. Thank you for your trust.”
20.50
Once again, Fr
failed to name the people who he claims
constitute his support team. In this connection, the Commission questioned
all living priests known to have been friendly with Fr
during this time,
and each of them denied being a member of his support team. Each of them
also denied any knowledge of the identity of any priest who might have been
a member of that team. The unnamed psychiatrist was never asked for a
report.
300
20.51
There is no evidence that Fr
was instructed to attend or did,
in fact, attend Stroud as planned in April 1982.
20.52
Within weeks there was another complaint. The complaint was of
sexual interference with a boy in the confirmation class. According to Fr
Kelly, following the confirmation ceremony, Fr
invited a young lad
into his house and “seemingly handled his clothes and straightened his tie
and all that and the parents obviously were a bit annoyed and a bit worried
when they heard this, so much so that they decided they‟d have a word with
me ”.
While the parents, according to Fr Kelly, never mentioned the phrase
sexual abuse, Fr Kelly was clear that their annoyance stemmed from the
intimate handling by Fr
20.53
of their son.
Fr Kelly told Archbishop Ryan about the complaint. Fr Kelly stated
that Archbishop Ryan remarked that the incident was “more or less the same
as what used to happen in the Pro-Cathedral”.
Fr Kelly got the impression
that Archbishop Ryan was troubled by his report on Fr
. He recalls
the Archbishop musing out loud: “In the name of God, what does one do with
a man like that? And to suggest sending him away, he‟s quite liable to say no.
And what does one do then?”.
20.54
The Archbishop met Fr
immediately and then formally
removed his faculties to preach, hear confessions or celebrate mass in public.
He told him that Bishop Comiskey would make arrangements for him and he
was to follow the bishop‟s instructions.
20.55
The new arrangement was to send Fr
to the Servants of the
Paraclete at Jemez Springs, New Mexico where, since the 1970s, they had
been running “a renewal program” in respect of priests who had sexually
abused. The primary inquiries and the arrangements once again appear to
have been made by Bishop Comiskey.
According to Bishop Comiskey,
Archbishop Ryan may not have had any great belief that the Servants of the
Paraclete in New Mexico could achieve what their brethren in Stroud had
failed to achieve, namely, the rehabilitation of Fr
, but in deference to
the great friendship and respect he had for Fr
willing to allow him to undergo a further course of treatment.
301
brother, he was
Jemez Springs, 1982
20.56
Fr
was extremely reluctant to go to New Mexico and made
every effort to avoid going.
He pleaded inability to get a visa, which in 1982
was a credible excuse as visas for a stay in the USA were difficult to obtain.
Bishop Comiskey, as an American citizen, liaised with the US embassy and a
visa for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment in the US was obtained.
Fr
continued to prevaricate. He pleaded lack of funds and was
advanced £500. In a last ditch effort to avoid the inevitable, he claimed to
have lost the visa, that it had gone in his clothing to the dry cleaners. To
ensure that he arrived at his destination his brother, Fr
,
accompanied him to New Mexico.
20.57
The cover story in Fr
personnel file in the Archdiocese
th
recorded that “with effect from May 26 1982, Father
has transferred
to study further in U.S.A”.
20.58
The course in Jemez Springs, which is in a fairly remote rural part of
New Mexico, was of a different order both in intensity and indeed in expense.
(The Archdiocese spent a total of about £29,000 (€37,000) in treatment and
ancillary costs for Fr
between the years 1981 and 1987).
The
programme at Foundation House, Jemez Springs was a 20 week programme
with a follow up programme designed to reintegrate the client with the
significant people in his life so as to facilitate his re-entry into the
Archdiocese. It involved physical, psychological, spiritual, psycho-sexual,
intellectual and social modules.
20.59
Fr
started the programme in July 1982 and completed it in
December 1982. Archbishop Ryan wrote to the director of the programme
and enclosed the February 1982 report from Stroud.
Unfortunately, the
Commission did not receive a copy of Archbishop Ryan‟s letter and so is not
aware of what other information was supplied to them. The first detailed
report from Jemez Springs was sent in August 1982. It is noticeable that the
report identifies many of the traits that had been earlier identified by Stroud.
20.60
By November 1982, Fr
was coming towards the end of his
treatment. A decision needed to be taken as to what was to happen next. He
wanted to return to Ireland, but the psychiatrist in charge of his treatment had
302
reservations because “he only feels 70% sure that
will not get sexually
involved with children again. The recidivism rate for people involved with
recidivism history is not good”.
children is very high and also
20.61
The course director was of the view that Fr
should stay in
the USA for another six months in an extended care facility. In a report in
November 1982 he stated:
“Basically, Archbishop, it seems to me that
does need to remain
here for a period of time after completing the program. Since the
recidivism rate for people involved with children is very high, we would
feel much more comfortable if
could be involved with some
halfway setting whereby he could also meet with a therapist to discuss
experience that he has, particularly around young children. We have
several possibilities in mind for this, including our house in Cherry
Valley, California or our house in St. Louis Missouri. In addition it
might also be possible for
to remain here in Albuquerque and
participate in a halfway program…
In the beginning of June, 1983,
will be expected to return here to
Foundation House for a follow up workshop. At that time, we could
reevaluate his situation and I feel that this might be a better time for
him to return to Ireland. After an experience in a halfway setting, we
would have a better handle on
experiences in ministry and could
be able to determine whether or not he has a grip on his problem.”
20.62
Archbishop Ryan accepted this recommendation. In November 1982,
Jemez Springs wrote to the Archbishop of Santa Fe seeking permission to
have Fr
work with priests who knew his history in a parish in
Alameda, a suburb of Albuquerque. Archbishop Ryan formally wrote to the
Archbishop of Santa Fe giving permission for Fr
to pursue a six
month ministry in Alameda parish.
Christmas, 1982
20.63
Meanwhile, Fr
came back to Ireland for his Christmas
holidays. He was not placed under any supervision during his stay. He had
access to a car and frequented a number of his old haunts in Palmerstown
and Clogher Road.
303
20.64
On 20 December he is alleged to have made sexual advances to a
sixteen-year-old boy whom he had sought out and to whom he had offered a
lift in his car.
The following day, the boy‟s parents complained to the parish priest, Fr
Con Curley.
Apparently Fr Curley explained to the parents that Fr..............
was a sick man and had been away for treatment. The Archbishop‟s memo of
these events notes that the parents did not make any reference to civil
proceedings. Fr Curley offered to see the boy.
20.65
On 21 December 1982, Fr
, presumably having learned of the
complaint, called to see the boy‟s parents and tried to explain the incident
away by saying that this was the way it happened in America, where the men
kiss one another.
that Fr
Archbishop Ryan‟s memo of these events also records
wrote a personal letter to Fr Curley to assure him that there
was nothing wrong. It appears that the Archbishop learned of the incident in
a telephone call from Bishop Comiskey on the evening of 21 December 1982.
He appears to have discussed the problem with Monsignor Gerard Sheehy,
one of the foremost canon lawyers in the Archdiocese and the judicial vicar at
the time. The following day, Monsignor Sheehy wrote to the Archbishop:
“I do not know anything like all the facts about yesterday evening‟s
problem. So, for the moment, I can advise only tentatively.
But I did think about it anxiously, last night. My one clear thought is
that, whatever the immediate action (and I agree that some positive
action has to be taken) it must not be suspension. Suspension would
bring you straight into the realm of penal law, with all it‟s implications
of crime, and culpability. From what you told me, my strong
impression is that one is dealing with a very sick man, not with a
“criminal”.
I do think it is possible to work out another solution, allowing that the
Archbishop must take firm action. I am sorry that, on the eve of
Christmas you should be saddled with this anxiety. If I can help in any
way, I most certainly shall.”
304
20.66
On the morning of Christmas Eve, Archbishop Ryan first met Fr Curley
and later met Fr
and his brother Fr
. More
than one witness told the Commission that the Archbishop, who was usually
very punctual, was so exhausted by the end of that Christmas Eve that he fell
asleep at home and was late for midnight mass in the Pro-Cathedral.
Return to Jemez Springs, 1983
20.67
The records do not show, and none of the witnesses interviewed by
the Commission has been able to explain, what happened in the immediate
aftermath of these events. However, we do know that by 5 January 1983, Fr
was back in Jemez Springs. He was now deemed by the Servants
of the Paraclete to be a paedophile and the treatment to be afforded to him
was for paedophilia. He was removed from the renewal and reorientation
course which had been conducted in Foundation House to another area of
their campus called Villa Louis Martin. There he came under the care and
supervision of Fr Benedict Livingstone SP, who was director of Villa Louis
Martin. On the day of his arrival, he entered a contract with the Servants of
the Paraclete which, in effect, placed him under house arrest and in which he
consented to undergo assessment for treatment with the drug Depo-Provera.
20.68
Depo-Provera, primarily used as a long acting contraceptive, had
been shown in studies in the USA to lessen the testosterone level and
consequently the libido, and therefore was helpful in controlling the urges of
sexual deviants. Information on the drug and its use in treating sex offenders
was sent to Archbishop Ryan by Jemez Springs.
20.69
Fr
was started on Depo-Provera in February 1983. A
progress report was sent to Archbishop Ryan in March 1983.
Tests had
shown a demonstrable reduction in his libido. As a result, the restrictions on
his movements were relaxed and he was allowed into the city of Albuquerque.
20.70
The Archbishop was asked for advice on what was to happen next.
Jemez Springs put forward a number of possibilities. The first was that Fr
should remain in Jemez Springs until the follow-up workshop which
was scheduled for June 1983. If this course was adopted, it was suggested
that he should become involved in some ministry outside the treatment
centre.
It was acknowledged that there was something of a risk attached to
305
this but the true results of the drug therapy treatment could not be assessed
until he returned to ministry. An alternative suggestion was that Fr................
would move to some of the other Servants of the Paraclete houses in the
USA, where he could begin to do some ministry and where they could still
monitor his behaviour and the effects of the drug therapy.
20.71
Archbishop Ryan was asked about the possible return of Fr
to the Archdiocese of Dublin. It was pointed out that, if and when Fr
returned to Dublin, he would need to remain on Depo-Provera. The question
of the drug‟s availability in Ireland and the possible monitoring arrangements
were raised. There is an undated, unsigned memo on the Archdiocesan file
which appears to be in the handwriting of Archbishop Ryan which suggests
that he made some enquiries as to the possibility of ongoing treatment for Fr
, in Ireland. It states: “Tried 2 Dr‟s [doctors] Prognosis good if on
drug Visa runs out mid June”.
20.72
In April 1983, Archbishop Ryan agreed to Fr
involvement in
ministry in the Santa Fe Archdiocese and cautioned that the archbishop of
that diocese would need to be fully briefed as to his circumstances.
Archbishop Ryan said he would discuss Fr
possible return to
Dublin on the telephone. This telephone conversation took place in mid May
1983. There is no direct record of the contents of the conversation. However,
a letter from Jemez Springs in May 1983 shows clearly that Archbishop Ryan
did not want Fr
back in the Archdiocese of Dublin and was very
concerned about the use of Depo-Provera in Ireland. The Director of the
programme wrote:
“When Father
returned here in January, after the incident
with a young man while he was visiting home during December, I
thought that it was understood by all that we would begin the drug
treatment with Depo-Provera. Because of this, we began the initial
procedures and blood tests and then initiated this drug treatment.
Over these months, Father
has been receiving Depo-Provera
on a regular basis. It has, in our opinion, greatly decreased his
compulsive behavior in the area of pedophilia. I also thought that it
was understood that Father
would need to remain on this
drug for the remainder of his life if he were to control this compulsive
306
sexual acting out. I believe that I sent you the information concerning
this drug sometime in January…
We feel confident, if Father
remains on this drug therapy, that
he can continue to function in the active ministry. As you may know,
as a result of the Depo-Provera treatment, one‟s blood testosterone
level goes almost to zero and one looses [sic] the inclination towards
any sexual fantasies. Also, if this drug is given on a regular basis, one
becomes impotent. Compliance with the treatment can be checked by
periodic blood testosterone level tests.
This drug has been used in Scandinavia, West Germany, the British
Commonwealth and in the United States for a number of years in
treating a variety of sex offenders. When someone is on the drug the
chances of repeating the sexual acting out is greatly reduced. The
success in using Depo-Provera is close to 100%.
In the professional opinion of our psychiatrist and the staff, as long as
Father
continues taking this drug, the probability that he will
become sexually inappropriate with adolescent males is extremely
low. [His psychiatrist] has been meeting with Father
regularly
since he began receiving the Depo-Provera and has monitored its
effects…
I did explain to you on the telephone that we could not find an
assignment for Father
here in the United States. Of course,
Bishops are very cautious in terms of taking a strange priest who has
had such a difficulty. However, this does not mean that you could not
give him another opportunity to prove himself, as his own Archbishop.
I do understand that there may be some ethical or moral problems
with the use of this drug in Ireland. However, I would like to mention
here the theological ramifications of Double Effect. It would seem to
me that it is far better for Father
to continue in the active
ministry, if at all possible, while using this drug rather then to leave the
priesthood or be urged to give up his active ministry. As I also stated
before, this was the understanding that I had when we began the
treatment with Depo-Provera.
307
If it is not possible to obtain or use Depo-Provera in Ireland, there is
another drug that has similar effects that can be obtained in Great
Britain. It is called Cyproterone Acetate. This drug is also an antiandrogen but is not used for birth control. It is basically used for males
and for treating tumors of the prostate gland. This drug also lowers the
testosterone level in the same manner as Depo-Provera.
Father
agrees that he needs to remain on this drug. He has
been able to observe the significant changes in his own bodily
reactions and in his sexual attractions. I do believe that he will take the
responsibility in terms of obtaining the drug for himself and will find a
physician who can administer and monitor it.
I spoke with Father
for three hours after our telephone
conversation. I did mention to him that you had suggested the
possibility of sending him to a monastery. After consultation with [his
psychiatrist] and the other staff people here, we do not recommend
this at the present time. I do understand that you are having difficulties
in terms of finding an assignment for Father
in the
Archdiocese of Dublin. Perhaps too many people know of the past
incidents. However, we do believe that he should be given another
chance while on the drug treatment. Perhaps you could help Father
in terms of locating in another Diocese, at least temporarily.
In this way, his behavior could be monitored and the success of the
drug treatment could be assessed.
I know that this situation causes many difficulties for you. However,
Father
has complied with the treatment here which has, at
times, been painful and harsh. Also, he does have many talents and
abilities that can be of service in the active priesthood. Further, we do
not feel that he has the personality to remain for a long period of time
in a monastic setting. Finally, and most importantly, he feels very
strong concerning his commitment to priesthood and wants to
continue functioning as an active priest.
308
I am hopeful that this information will help you in making some type of
decision concerning Father
. He is going to remain here for
the follow-up workshop that will be held from June 6 through June 11.
After this, he will be returning to Dublin at my request. We feel that we
have done everything that is humanly and spiritually possible to be of
service to Father
and to you. I hope that you will be able to
discover some possible ministerial setting for Father
after
talking with him.”
20.73
In June 1983, Bishop Comiskey was asked to make inquiries about
extending Fr
American visa. Even though a visa extension could
have been obtained in the USA, Fr
arrived back in Dublin in the
summer of 1983, and stayed with his brother.
Santa Rosa diocese, 1983 - 1986
20.74
The Archbishop, meanwhile, was making efforts to ensure that Fr
stay in Dublin would be brief. He contacted Bishop Mark Hurley, of
the diocese of Santa Rosa, California, who clearly was known to him. It
appears that Archbishop Ryan asked him to, as it were, „rid me of this
troublesome priest‟,69 and Bishop Hurley agreed. Presumably Fr
full history was made known to Bishop Hurley. The Commission did not seek
confirmation on this point from the Santa Rosa Diocese as it is aware that in
1995, when issues of child sex abuse were being investigated in the Santa
Rosa Diocese, Bishop Hurley, who was then assigned to Rome, swore a
deposition to the effect that he had torn up all confidential personnel records
before his resignation in 1987.70
20.75
In 1995, Monsignor John Wilson, who was Archbishop Ryan‟s
secretary in 1983, recalled that he was in Archbishop Ryan‟s study while the
Archbishop spoke by telephone to Bishop Hurley.
Monsignor Wilson‟s
recollection was that Archbishop Ryan explained to Bishop Hurley the
personal difficulties that Fr
had been treated for and, to the best of
his recollection, the nature of the treatment.
69
70
As reported to have been said by Henry II in respect of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of
Canterbury (later St Thomas) in the 12th century.
www.bishopaccountability.org
309
20.76
In June 1983, Archbishop Ryan wrote to Bishop Hurley confirming in
writing the arrangements made earlier with him regarding Fr
and he
provided the following statement to the diocese of Santa Rosa:
“I understand that Father
has applied for a visa to
work as a diocesan priest in the diocese of Santa Rosa, California,
U.S.A., on a temporary basis. I am aware of this application and
approve of his going to work as a priest in your diocese in view of the
pastoral needs of the immigrants from Ireland and other Englishspeaking countries…
When Father
has completed his temporary service in the
diocese of Santa Rosa, he will be accepted back into this Archdiocese
of Dublin, Ireland, in which he has been incardinated from the time of
his ordination.”
20.77
It was almost three years before Fr
problem for the Dublin Archdiocese.
next surfaced as a
By then, Archbishop Ryan was dead,
and his successor, Archbishop Kevin McNamara, was seriously ill.
20.78
On his arrival in Santa Rosa diocese, Fr
had been assigned
as a curate to Eureka, Northern California. The Commission does not know
whether Santa Rosa diocese monitored Fr
to ensure that he
continued to adhere to the drug therapy prescribed for him. Initially however,
he appears to have got on well. In January 1985. Bishop Hurley wrote to
Archbishop McNamara to congratulate him and to wish him well on his recent
appointment and in the course of the letter stated:
“At the request of Archbishop Ryan I accepted into the diocese on a
trial basis Fr.
of the Archdiocese of Dublin. I am
happy to report that he seems to be very happy and doing quite well in
St. Bernard‟s Parish in Eureka California.”
20.79
By the end of 1985, however, things had changed.
Stories of
inappropriate conduct began to emerge from Eureka. Bishop Hurley removed
him from there and, following a brief locum appointment in another town,
declined to offer him any further appointment. In March 1986 Fr
wrote to Archbishop McNamara setting out the position as he saw it:
“I write to you about my present position, and to keep you informed.
310
I was very happy and fulfilled in my ministry in Eureka C.A. (Santa
Rosa Diocese) for the past few years. I was liked by the people, and I
liked them, and I made many friends. My health, T.G. is also very
good. I continue to take the help and the support I need. I have grown
away from the problems that entered my life surprisingly and abruptly
some years ago. It happened during the time of my long Dublin ProCathedral (8 McDermott St.) ministry with the centre-city bombings,
and later my involvement with the aftermath of the Stardust disaster in
Coolock. I have tried to put into practice what I learned in therapy and
the great services that Dr. Ryan put at my disposal.
Though my dealings with young people has to be monitored and
controlled I feel that I can effectively minister to them at school and in
the family circle as effectively as I did in my ministry, before this, in the
past. I did help a number of young people in my Dublin parishes who
are now priests of the diocese.
It came as a great disappointment to me when Bishop Hurley, whom I
always found very friendly and helpful, whom I trusted, said that he
was to discontinue my services. He has made it clear that I did not do
anything wrong, but he received some complaint or complaints from a
person or persons, who were uncomfortable in their observation of
me. I was not told the nature or source of the complaint. Because of
recent publicity here in the media and the legal implications about
child abuse Bishop Hurley reacted very strongly. A great number of
parishioners wrote to the Bishop, especially those with families, and
many in posts of responsibility with whom I worked closely. They
endorsed my ministry in general and many said that they were
comfortable with my relationship with them, and the members of their
families. The Bishop sent them a circular letter and said that “my good
work at St. Bernard‟s was not at issue”, which they, nor I could not
[sic] understand.
He asked Bp. Hurley if I was willing to fill a vacancy in another parish
until the “new pastor was appointed and established” and that I have
done and completed. (The entire town was flooded two weeks ago
311
and the church on the hill became the refuge of 400 people) The
Bishop now says that he has no appointment for me”.
20.80
It is striking that there is no mention in this letter of the medication and
blood tests which, only three years earlier, had been deemed essential to
curb his paedophile tendencies. Indeed, not once in the ensuing years is
there any evidence that Fr
was asked by any official of the Dublin
Archdiocese whether or not he was still taking the necessary medication or
undergoing the blood tests necessary to monitor the medication‟s
effectiveness.
20.81
Despite Archbishop Ryan‟s undertaking to Bishop Hurley in 1983 that
Fr
would be accepted back into the Archdiocese of Dublin when he
had completed his temporary assignment, it is clear from the limited
documentation available that he was not welcome back in Dublin.
Archbishop McNamara replied to Fr
letter in May 1986. This
makes it clear that Archbishop McNamara had discussed with Bishop Hurley
the circumstances in which Fr
appointment had been ended.
Archbishop McNamara, in his reply, recites the fact of the previous difficulties
and states that, having discussed the matter fully with the council of the
diocese, he regretted to have to say that he felt unable in the light of the
advice given to him, to offer him an appointment in the diocese. He went on
to suggest that, if Fr
was successful in obtaining another
appointment in the USA, that would enable him to continue in his priestly
ministry.
Back in Dublin, 1986
20.82
Out of work, and with no immediate prospect of another appointment,
Fr
came home to Dublin in May 1986. The ostensible reason for his
return was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of his ordination.
He
stayed, at least initially, at an address in Clontarf, where Archbishop
McNamara wrote to him to congratulate him on the occasion of his silver
jubilee and enclosed a copy of his earlier letter refusing him an appointment
in Dublin. He met Fr
. A memo of that meeting suggests that Fr
accepted that the Archbishop could not offer him an appointment in
the Dublin Archdiocese. He requested the Archbishop to provide him with a
letter of introduction which he could use in approaching an American diocese.
312
The Archbishop agreed to provide such a letter and he further agreed that he
would arrange for Fr
to receive financial assistance until such time
as he managed to obtain an appointment in the USA.
20.83
To the knowledge of the Archdiocese, Fr
for the summer of 1986.
stayed on in Dublin
His activities appear to have been entirely
unmonitored, despite the Archdiocese‟s knowledge that he had been declared
a paedophile and despite its knowledge of many complaints against him. He
moved from house to house and he had the use of a car. In July 1986, he
moved into a house in Palmerstown, the property of a garda chief
superintendent.
20.84
Fr
appears to have applied immediately to the diocese of Los
Angeles for work as a priest. In July 1986, Archbishop McNamara wrote to
Archbishop Mahony of Los Angeles, stating that, from June 1983 to May
1986, Fr
had worked in the diocese of Santa Rosa on a temporary
basis with the approval of the Archdiocese. He described Fr
as a
good worker who was prayerful and very attentive to his priestly duties. He
explained that, because of his over involvement with young people, it was felt,
following a series of courses and counselling, that it would be advisable for Fr
to work outside Ireland. Archbishop Mahony was told that Bishop
Hurley of Santa Rosa would be able to advise him on how Fr
had
fared in his ministry during his three years there. The letter concludes: “I
would appreciate it if you would give Fr.
application a favourable
consideration. If I can be of any further assistance to you in considering
request for work please contact me”.
Father
20.85
To those in the know, this carefully worded letter constituted sufficient
warning as to Fr
tendencies. The Dublin Archdiocese, while
representing to Fr
that it was amenable to his securing another
position in the USA, was at the same time ensuring that he had little chance
of actually getting such a position. Telephone calls appear to have been
exchanged between Archbishop McNamara and Archbishop Mahony, and Fr
does not appear to have been offered work in the Los Angeles
diocese.
313
20.86
While this was happening, Fr
was free to move as he
pleased, without supervision. He visited a priest friend in a rural part of the
Archdiocese where he spotted a young boy who, unfortunately, he is alleged
to have sought out to molest a year and a half later, in January 1988. He put
out the word among his former classmates that he was available for supply
work during the holiday period, and though by now, numbers of his
classmates were aware of the fact, if not the extent, of his problems, they also
knew that he had concelebrated mass with them in Clonliffe at the silver
jubilee celebrations, and so assumed, not unreasonably, that he was in good
standing in the Archdiocese.
A week in August 1986
20.87
Through a classmate, Fr
learned that a particular priest was
urgently looking for someone to stand in for him while he was on holidays. As
Fr
had been recommended to him by another priest in the Dublin
Archdiocese, the priest did not consider it necessary to make any inquiries as
to Fr
suitability to do supply work.
In the space of one week in
August 1986, the following events occurred.
20.88
On Sunday, Fr
turned up to say mass in the parish. A nine
year old boy was asked by a local nun to serve mass, as there was no one
called to the boy‟s house and
else available. The following day, Fr
asked him to serve mass again. He did so and, after mass, it is alleged that
Fr
abused him. The abuse described was broadly similar to that
described by previous complainants. Fr
gave the boy a T-shirt and
a prayer book.
20.89
The boy went home and told his mother what had happened. His
parents brought him to the sexual assault treatment unit in the Rotunda
hospital and immediately afterwards went to their local garda station to make
a complaint.
The initial garda reaction was exemplary. The garda who
received the complaint arranged for a colleague to attend at the boy‟s house
that very evening to take his statement.
A detective garda took a
comprehensive statement which included a lot of surrounding detail capable
of independent verification, and had the statement witnessed by the boy‟s
mother. The detective garda took possession of the prayer book and T-shirt
given to the boy by Fr
. The garda held on to these potential
314
exhibits, in case this matter ever came before the courts. He still had these
items in his possession at the time of his retirement from the Gardaí in 2002.
This garda took no further part in the investigation. The following morning,
the investigating garda went to the local presbytery to inform Fr
of
the complaint made against him and to invite him to attend at the local station
for interview. The Commission is of the view that when the investigating
garda arrived at the presbytery, the irate father of the boy was already there
confronting Fr
in relation to the assault. Fr
later
characterised this confrontation as an over-reaction by the father to the
situation.
20.90
According to Fr
, on being informed by the investigating garda
of the complaint made against him of indecent assault, he offered to make a
statement on the matter but was advised by the garda not to do so. This was
denied by the garda, who told the Commission that his recollection was that
Fr
wished to conduct the interview there and then and that he (the
garda) wanted to conduct it in the more formal setting of the garda station.
20.91
In any event, Fr
did attend at the garda station later that
same day in the company of a friend who was a retired garda sergeant who
had served in that district.
According to the two gardaí who conducted the
interview, which was a voluntary interview, they put each of the allegations
contained in the boy‟s statement to Fr
. Each garda told the
Commission that he took no notes of Fr
responses, although each
formed the view that Fr
was lying. It strikes the Commission as
extraordinary that no notes were taken during the course of this interview as
the very purpose of the interview was to ascertain and note the response of
Fr
to the complaint being made against him. Unfortunately, as the
garda file on this investigation is missing, the Commission has no means of
crosschecking the gardaí‟s evidence in this respect.
20.92
One of the gardaí spoke with the retired garda sergeant who had
accompanied Fr
to the station. This retired garda sergeant was
disinclined to believe any wrong of Fr
. That same evening, Fr
went to the home of Garda Chief Superintendent Joe McGovern. Fr
had been staying in a house belonging to the chief superintendent
since July. He made certain limited admissions to the chief superintendent
315
who did not convey them to the investigating garda, but who did convey them
and the fact of the garda investigation to his local parish priest,
Fr Curley.
When asked by the Commission why he took this course, the chief
superintendent
replied that he considered Fr
matter for the Church to deal with.
behaviour to be a
This was despite his knowledge that an
investigation had just commenced into an allegation of indecent
assault.
When asked why he did not consider it appropriate to notify anybody in
civil authorities about the admission made to him by Fr
the
, the chief
superintendent responded:
“I didn‟t report - I didn‟t consider it appropriate to notify the local gardaí
in case - they could even think I was meddling. I took the course that I
thought was the proper course at the time.
I contacted the local
curate who was a very conscientious person and I knew who would
take it on board and he did take it on board and he got onto the
Archbishops House about the matter and he subsequently told me
that he got onto the superintendent in Ballyfermot. So I think there
was no omission on my part there.”
20.93
When pressed on the point, the chief superintendent stated that the
question of disciplining the priest was a matter for Archbishop‟s House who
were in the main responsible for the priest.
20.94
The following day, the Archdiocese, having been notified of the
investigation by the chief superintendent, got involved in the matter. The
detective garda handling the investigation contacted an official in the office of
the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) seeking advice. The investigation
stopped.
No further inquiries were made by the Gardaí.
The boy‟s
statement was full of detail which could have been independently verified by
taking statements from third parties. No such statements were taken. No
statements were taken from the boy‟s parents. The boy‟s father, in particular,
had useful evidence to offer. He later told a Church official that Fr
,
when confronted by him, said that “this” had happened several times before
and that he got carried away with children. Even though the Gardaí knew that
Fr
intended to return to the USA, no warrant was sought for his
arrest. The explanation given to the Commission by the investigating garda
for the failure to take additional statements was that he did not want to
expose the boy within the community as having been indecently assaulted by
316
a priest. The Commission does not find this explanation convincing, plausible
or acceptable.
20.95
As the garda investigation stopped, the Archdiocesan investigation got
underway. The Archdiocese‟s handling of events was facilitated in significant
ways by the Gardaí. As already described, Fr
Superintendent McGovern who rang Fr Curley.
visited Chief
According to his
contemporaneous account, Fr Curley went to see another superintendent in a
garda station.
While there, he was given the boy‟s statement to read. This
superintendent denied to the Commission that he had met Fr Curley at all.
He stated that sometime later he met another priest from Archbishop‟s House
in relation to the matter. While there was a priest with this name in the
Archdiocese, he did not serve in the archdiocesan administration and had not
been asked to take any steps on behalf of the Archdiocese in the matter. The
superintendent further denied that he allowed Fr Curley to read the
complainant‟s statement or facilitated his reading of it in any manner. While
the Commission cannot fully determine the issue in the absence of some of
the
relevant
parties,
it
prefers
the
evidence
contained
in
the
contemporaneous memo of Fr Curley. This was prepared by Fr Curley for his
superiors in the Dublin Archdiocese and he would never have expected it to
enter the public domain. Further, the Commission cannot conceive of any
reason why Fr Curley would state that such a meeting had happened if such
were not the case. The Commission‟s view in this regard is supported by the
evidence of Chief Superintendent McGovern who told the Commission that,
after the event, Fr Curley had confirmed to him that he had met the
superintendent. It also appears clear to the Commission that someone told Fr
that he was out of the woods in respect of this complaint because, in
early 1988, when taxed with yet another sexual assault by the Church
authorities, he commented that the warrant in respect of this incident had
expired. In fact, no such warrant had been issued. The Commission is of the
view that this particular garda investigation was marred by Church
interference which was facilitated by the Gardaí and which was material in
allowing Fr
20.96
to evade justice.
After his meeting with the superintendent, Fr Curley met Bishop
Williams. It was decided that Fr Curley should contact the boy‟s parents as
soon as possible in an “unofficial capacity”. That meeting was arranged to
317
take place in the garda station where the complaint had been made.
According to Fr Curley, this arrangement was facilitated by the Gardaí. The
investigating garda told the Commission that he had no recollection of
arranging this meeting but he did not deny that it had occurred. Fr Curley got
the boy‟s statement and agreed to send it to Archbishop‟s House.
20.97
The Commission interviewed the superintendent of the district, the
detective inspector in charge of investigations and the three gardaí involved in
the investigation in relation to this matter. Each of the five agreed that it was
entirely improper that the church authorities should have been given a copy of
the complainant‟s statement. The detective inspector went so far as to state
that he would view the handing over of the statement as a serious disciplinary
matter. Each of the five denied that he had been responsible for giving the
complainant‟s statement to the Church authorities.
The Commission is,
however, satisfied that the Church authorities received the statement from the
Gardaí but is not in a position to identify with certainty who was responsible.
20.98
Meanwhile, Fr
prepared a statement of his version of events.
This was given to Archbishop‟s House but not to the Gardaí. In it, he said
that he and the boy “exchanged the kiss of peace during mass with an
embrace”. He said he gave the boy a T-shirt and a prayer book but “At no
time did I interfere with him privately”.
20.99
Bishop Carroll (who was in charge of the Archdiocese in the
interregnum between Archbishop McNamara‟s death and the appointment of
Archbishop Connell) and Bishop Williams (who was in charge of the
archdiocesan finances) met Fr
“He
and compiled this report:
denied any sexual assault, but made vague
references to hugging and petting and included some reference to
offering the child a change of clothes. He admitted that it was the first
and only occasion on which he has broken his rule of never being
alone with young people, since he had problems previously. He
resisted strong pressure to consult the Servants of the Paraclete in
California, when he returns there, in the light of his previous treatment
with them. He indicated an intention of travelling to California to take
up a course in Pastoral Training in Hospital Work, commencing in
October. Out of this, he would hope to obtain a post in Pastoral
318
Ministry in hospitals in America. He also indicated a feeling of hurt at
the fact that the Archbishop had indicated to him on his return in June
that he would not get an appointment in this diocese. When asked
why his appointment in America had ceased, he said that his contract
had been for three years and the Bishop had indicated that he was not
renewing it, but had given him no specific reason. Under questioning,
he did admit that during the three-year period the Bishop had, on a
number of occasions, expressed unease at Father
over
familiarity with young people”.
20.100
At the conclusion of that meeting, Bishop Williams gave Fr
a
cheque. In his memo of the event, he also raised the issue of insurance for
the diocese “in matters of this sort”, which had been under active
consideration by the Archdiocese for some time. Approximately one month
later the Archbishop met the Church and General Insurance Company to
expedite the question of insurance. An insurance policy was issued in March
1987 (see Chapter 9).
20.101
The Friday after the alleged abuse of the altar boy occurred, Fr
returned to the USA.
Further Church activities in relation to 1986 complaint
20.102
Fr Curley continued his efforts to deal with the fall out from the
incident.
He met the boy‟s parents at their local garda station. His account
of the meeting is as follows:
“As far as both parents were concerned I was a friend of [local priest],
we worked together, and as he was away on holiday, I explained I
wanted to help them to discuss the incident and more so out of
concern for their child. The parents made the following points:
- Fr.
told the father that “this” happened several times before-
he gets carried away with children.
- They said they do not want him to get away with it. He should be
charged and disciplined.
- The matter was not to be swept under the carpet and threaten (sic)
to expose the problem in the newspapers if something is not done
about it.
319
- The Father and Mother said they felt so angry every time they looked
at the child they had to send him away to relatives for a while.
…
- They insisted that the Archbishop should read their sons statement.
- They were so upset because a priest is a person you put your trust
in. Fr.
bought presents for their son and they said Fr.
was cute enough not to say anything to the boy about
reporting it at home.
- The parents want action and something to be done.
…
Concluding the meeting after other points were made I asked them to
try to be loyal to [the local priest] who would see them on returning
from holidays. I told them then I would be making a full report of our
meeting to Archbishop‟s House”.
20.103
Undoubtedly, the Church authorities were still concerned at the
potential for this incident to become a matter of public scandal.
Bishop
O‟Mahony, who was the area bishop but who had been away at the time of
the incident, was brought up to date by Bishop Williams who gave him copies
of all of the documents available.
20.104
On his return from holidays, the local priest, for whom Fr
had
done supply work, met Bishop O‟Mahony. They noted:
“1. We agreed that [local priest] would see the parents this evening and
assure them of written confirmation if necessary that the Archbishop had
personally seen the boy‟s statement.
2. A possible letter would contain:
*The above assurance if required. An expression of sympathy for the
serious hurt suffered by the boy and his family.
*A commitment to take all necessary and possible steps to ensure that the
Diocesan authorities in the USA are aware of the situation and effective
steps are being taken to exercise discipline and ensure treatment.”
20.105
The local priest then met the parents and reported to Bishop
O‟Mahony that the meeting was “pretty good” but the parents felt that Fr
..had got away with it. The local priest said there “was now no need
320
to write a letter of assurance”. He also told the bishop that rumour of the
alleged incident had not spread very much in the community.
20.106
It appears that Bishop O‟Mahony was still concerned that this matter
might give rise to scandal because a later meeting was organised at Bishop
O‟Mahony‟s house with the local priest and the mother of the boy.
Bishop
O‟Mahony noted that the mother:
“was calm and impressive in her response to the traumatic incident
but upset and angry that:
1.
The priest had the opportunity of working […] with young boys.
2.
He got away without any charge being made against him –
“one law for the rich, the other for the poor”!
3.
He could have the opportunity of doing similar damage back in
the USA.
She wants assurance that he would have treatment and no
appointment that would involve contact with young boys.
I told her that the necessary steps would be taken to ensure that her
reasonable requests would be carried out and promised to make
contact again with more specific information of the steps taken.”
Bishop O‟Mahony disputes the characterisation of his motivation as being the
avoidance of scandal.
He told the Commission that his motivation was
pastoral support for the family and the priest. However, the Commission
considers that his notes and those of the local priest suggest that the
avoidance of scandal was the primary consideration.
Furthermore, there is
no evidence of any ongoing Church support for the family once the immediate
threat of scandal had passed.
Further garda activities in relation to 1986 complaint
20.107
In early September 1986, the investigating garda received a report
from the sexual assault unit in the Rotunda hospital.
Having regard to the
nature of the assault complained of, not surprisingly, there was little physical
evidence found of the assault on the boy.
Later in September, the
investigating garda forwarded the file to his district office. The file consisted
of a covering letter from the garda, the statement of the boy, the report from
the sexual assault unit and a request that the file be forwarded to the DPP‟s
office. The superintendent of the district attached his note to the file stating:
321
“I understand that Fr.
was transferred to America
approximately six years ago arising out of an incident of a similar
nature. He had no authority to minister in Dublin at present and was
in fact on holidays. I now understand that he has again returned to
America.”
20.108
When a garda file is submitted to the office of the DPP for directions
as to charges, if any, it is usual for the Gardaí to submit a report with the file
outlining the nature of their investigation, the evidence which has been
gathered and their conclusions as to the charges, if any, which should be
brought.
No such report was submitted nor directions sought with this file
when it was submitted to the DPP‟s office.
The garda evidence to the
Commission was to the effect that the file was being forwarded more for the
information of the DPP than for any other purpose.
20.109
that Fr
The DPP‟s office, in an internal memorandum, expressed the view
should be prosecuted, were he available to be prosecuted, on
the basis that the boy‟s statement of events was clear and convincing. The
office commented on the incomplete nature of the investigation, for example,
the failure to take statements from other children and the parents, but the
ultimate conclusion was: “Even if one could, I wouldn‟t bother extraditing him.”
20.110
The DPP‟s office does not appear to have adverted in any way to the
information given to them in the brief letter from the superintendent, which
suggested that Fr
had a previous history of this type of offence. This
was a very brief file and one might have expected that further investigation or
information would have been sought from the Gardaí as to this man‟s
previous history.
20.111
Whereas there is no documentary evidence available that the DPP‟s
decision was communicated by the Chief State Solicitor‟s Office to the
Gardaí, the garda superintendent of the district in which the event occurred
told the Commission that he was aware that there was to be no prosecution.
322
USA, 1986
20.112
Fr
had told Bishops Carroll and Williams that he intended to
enrol in a hospital chaplaincy course at a hospital in Orange, California. An
official from Archbishop‟s House telephoned Los Angeles diocese advising
“that a further incident was reported during Father
in Ireland”.
recent vacation
Los Angeles diocese replied that, while they had received Fr
application for work, they had not offered him any post due to the
circumstances of his case. The Archdiocese also telephoned the diocese of
Orange alerting them to the fact that Fr
was enrolled on a hospital
chaplaincy course there and that background information on Fr
could
be obtained from the Santa Rosa diocese. The most recent complaint about
Fr
20.113
was also mentioned.
Fr
meanwhile was looking for funding from the Archdiocese
for his activities in Orange.
Bishop Williams directed that the course fees be
paid and that he also get an allowance. A bank draft for in excess of $2,000
for tuition fees and incidental expenses for the months of October to
December 1986 was forwarded to Fr
promised for early January 1987.
. A further cheque was
Once again no one appears to have
inquired as to whether or not he was taking his medication.
20.114
Fr
did not start the hospital chaplaincy course. It is not clear
why but it is likely that the warning given to Orange diocese by the
Archdiocese of Dublin was responsible for this change of plan. Fr
was living in Sebastapol, California and Bishop Williams wrote to him there in
October 1986 seeking details of the new course which he proposed to
embark on.
The bishop also reminded him that, at their August 1986
meeting, both he and Bishop Carroll had stressed that they would expect a
report either from the residential centre he had previously attended, Jemez
Springs, or from some other competent professional source, to show that he
had fully disclosed recent events in Dublin and had been treated in respect of
them. The bishop expressed dissatisfaction that the report had not been
received by him and stated that, pending receipt of the information required,
he would keep his application for further financial assistance under review.
20.115
Fr
replied saying he now intended to begin a clinical pastoral
education course at another hospital, this time in the diocese of Sacramento.
323
He looked for further money to cover his tuition even though he had already
received $2,000 to cover his course and keep. He dealt with the professional
report as follows:
“I gave a full account to [solicitor] before I left Dublin. I also gave the
same report [to] the priest psychologist whom I told you about. We
have teased this out several times and I increased the frequency of
my visits for that purpose. I asked him if he was willing to give a
professional report and he said that as his clients come to him
voluntarily (and not referred) and because he is also my confessor, he
believes in keeping his professional services confidential.
…
I have grown from the incidents of some years ago and thank God
have returned happily to ministry again. I am helping out at weekends
and preaching.”
20.116
Once again, when asked to account for himself, Fr
relied on
self-serving pieties together with assurances of personal growth and
development. Bishop Williams‟s response to this letter is remarkable in the
context of all that had gone before and particularly given that the Archdiocese
had knowledge that Fr
had been diagnosed as a paedophile whose
tendency could only be controlled by medication:
“Please be assured that you have my help and that I will provide every
co-operation in your training and renewal. I would hope that it would
go without question that just treatment will be ensured at all times for a
priest of the diocese.
However, having said that, I must come back to the question of the
request which Bishop Carroll and I made to you that we should have a
professional report from a qualified advisor, arising from our
discussion before you left Dublin. If your priest/psychologist feels that
because of his relationship to you as a confessor, he is unable to
provide such a report, then I would have to ask you to consult some
other psychologist or medical advisor, who will give us a
comprehensive report.
I am sure that, on reflection, you will see the justice and the wisdom of
our asking for this firm evidence that medical advice concurs with your
324
opinion of the situation. It is in your own interest to let us have this
firm evidence, so that the written and documented allegations will not
remain unanswered.”
20.117
It is difficult to avoid the impression that Bishop Williams was more
intent on keeping the file right by having on it a medical report which might
exculpate the Archdiocese, rather than dealing appropriately with the ongoing
threat that Fr
posed to boys whom he might encounter. There is no
evidence that the diocese of Sacramento was contacted about Fr
presence there.
20.118
In January 1987, a decision appears to have been reached that the
Archdiocese of Dublin would continue to fund Fr
on his clinical
pastoral education course in Sacramento, notwithstanding his repeated failure
to comply with the request for a comprehensive medical report. There is a
note on file advising the finance secretariat to send him a salary for three
months.
First complainant comes forward again, 1987
20.119
20.120
325
326
20.121
20.122
20.123
More problems in the USA
20.124
Meanwhile, the supervisor of the course which Fr
was
pursuing in Sacramento, a nun, wrote to the Archdiocese concerning his
status. This course was in a different hospital to the one Fr
had told
the bishops about earlier. The supervisor told the Archdiocese that, when Fr
applied for the course in November 1986, he had provided a letter
giving him release from the Dublin Archdiocese, an acceptance letter giving
him faculties in Sacramento diocese and several letters which recommended
327
him. He had also provided a reference from a nun who ran a similar course in
Ireland.
The supervisor said that there had been no problems with Fr
but they had recently heard “rather ugly rumours about his reasons
for leaving the diocese of Dublin and that of Santa Rosa. These rumours
implied that he seeks out young boys for all the wrong reasons”. She went on
to say that she was writing “at the suggestion of Bishop Hurley from Santa
Rosa and am most anxious to clear this as soon as possible, because, if
these rumours are true, Father will be asked to leave the programme after I
have confronted him. We have had experience of this before and cannot
countenance this.”
20.125
Bishop Williams telephoned the supervisor.
was ill in hospital.
Archbishop McNamara
There are no notes of the contents of the telephone call
but a subsequent letter to the supervisor suggests that Bishop Williams did
confirm that the “rather ugly rumours” were true. The bishop then wrote to Fr
telling him about the inquiry from the course supervisor and mildly
upbraiding him for undertaking a course other than the one agreed and for not
providing the professional assessment sought.
20.126
While Dublin failed to address the issues, Sacramento acted. After
speaking to Bishop Williams, the diocese of Sacramento gave him two weeks
to leave. He was ordered, initially orally, and the following day, in writing, not
to exercise any ministry within the territory of the diocese. He was forbidden
to participate further in the course in which he was enrolled. He was also
ordered to submit himself to the care of the Archdiocese of Dublin.
20.127
Fr
, as usual, did not do as he was directed. He did not
submit himself to the care of the Dublin Archdiocese. Instead, he set about
obtaining a medical report from a psychologist whom he had met in the
context of the course. He also, somewhat surprisingly, managed to obtain an
extremely favourable evaluation of his participation in the first quarter of this
course.
No doubt this favourable evaluation was assisted by the various
untruths that Fr
had conveyed to the course participants and
directors. According to the evaluation:
“At age 48, Father left his country and came to the United States to
settle down in a new country and culture.
He said he had a
suppressed longing to work abroad since he was very young. This
328
move afforded him the opportunity to meet new challenges and break
away from his old ruts71. This decision was very significant in his life,
especially since his mother was not in favor of him leaving home. He
has not regretted this change, but rather feels that it has helped him to
better self acceptance and has stimulated his inner freedom and
autonomy. He has said that in recent years his priest friends and
other friends in Ireland have accused him of selfishness and that this
hurt him very much, but in the process of his renewal, he has become
convinced that he needs to be somewhat selfish in order to fulfil his
own needs. I believe he is a well balanced person giving proper time
and attention to all the facets of his life. This shows in his behaviour
and interaction with those around him. His vital energies are used in
affirmative and responsible ways to himself and others.
He loves
music and the arts. He has taken oil painting lessons and paints very
well.
He is a member of a health spa and is aware of diet and
exercise for his well being. He seems to be in good health, taking
primary responsibility for his own wellness. He is quick to use the
healing energy of laughter and play. He has dressed up as a clown,
looking very professional from the pictures he has shown us. He did
this for grammar school children in Eureka at Halloween time a few
years ago.
Another significant emotional event in Fr.
life was when a fire
broke out in a school72 where he was teaching and 48 teenagers
burned to death. This effected [sic] him very personally. This had to
have made a very deep wound of grief and it seems he has worked
through the agony of such a tragedy but I‟m not sure his healing
process is as complete as it should be.
Fr.
has travelled extensively in the past years before coming to the
United States.
He visited Irish Missionaries in Africa, Brazil and
India73. Because of these opportunities, he said it has broadened his
mind and spiritual life.”
71
72
73
Note that there is no reference to his stay in Jemez Springs in 1982 and again in 1983.
This is a reference to the Stardust fire which, of course, took place in a night club, not a
school. Fr
had never been a teacher.
This is untrue to the best of the Commission‟s knowledge.
329
20.128
This evaluation was signed by Fr
supervisor, a lay woman,
and by the religious sister who was the course supervisor. It is not known why
the course supervisor was willing to endorse such a misleading evaluation.
Perhaps it was because the lay supervisor who prepared the evaluation could
not be brought into the confidence of the inner Church circle who knew the
truth about Fr
. Fr
made extensive use of this evaluation
when applying for work in the USA.
20.129
He succeeded in getting a favourable report from the psychologist
whom he had met on the course. The psychologist reported that he had
conducted five hours face to face interviewing and five hours of psychological
testing.
He concluded that Fr
was in the correct career path.
“is capable of and is actively using
Additionally, he noted that Fr
individual psychotherapy”.
He was of the view that psychotherapy would
continue to help him become more aware of himself. The psychologist also
conducted a psychological evaluation of Fr
.
The history given by Fr
to the psychologist was untruthful and full of glaring omissions. He
failed to disclose the various complaints against him, he said he had been
accused of being over familiar with young people but there were no specific
complaints, he did not mention his time in Jemez Springs or in Stroud, he did
not tell the psychologist that he had been diagnosed as a paedophile whose
tendencies could only be controlled by anti-androgenic drug therapy.
He
said he had been traumatised by “the burning of 48 teenagers that came from
a bomb that went off in the parish where Father
was ministering in”.
This presumably is an amalgamation of the Dublin bombings of 1974 and the
Stardust disaster of 1981.
20.130
On the basis of the history given, the psychologist‟s report was clearly
worthless. It, too, was used extensively by Fr
when he sought
work in the USA.
20.131
Fr
sent this report and the course evaluation to Bishop
Williams in March 1987. Fr
made no reference to the fact that his
faculties had been withdrawn by the diocese of Sacramento, nor to the fact
that he had been ordered to leave the territory of that diocese.
was looking for suitable ministry.
330
He said he
20.132
Bishop Williams must have known that the psychological evaluation
was worthless as it was based on an inaccurate, misleading and untruthful
history given by Fr
. Fr
was not confronted by
the inaccuracy of the history, nor does it appear from the documents that the
psychologist was notified of the false basis upon which his report rested.
20.133
There is evidence that, at this stage, Bishop Williams was finally losing
patience. In the archdiocesan documents is a memorandum on “Dismissal
from the Clerical State” prepared by Monsignor Alex Stenson for Bishop
Williams. Monsignor Stenson cannot remember whether this was prepared in
the context of Fr
or Fr Carney (see Chapter 28). Monsignor Stenson
listed the three ways in which an ordained cleric can lose the clerical state
being:
by a judgment of a court or an administrative decree, declaring his
ordination invalid;
by the penalty of dismissal lawfully imposed;
by a rescript of the Apostolic See.
20.134
However, nothing was done to institute a process of dismissal in the
case of Fr
20.135
.
Between March and June 1987, Fr
applied for chaplaincy
posts in a number of dioceses in the USA and Canada.
He made initial
progress but each application ultimately foundered when inquiries were made
of either Dublin, Sacramento or Santa Rosa dioceses. During this period, Fr
also made himself available to do supply work.
In May 1987, he
somehow managed to get a letter granting him priestly faculties in the diocese
of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
20.136
Back in Dublin, Archbishop McNamara died in April 1987 and Bishop
Carroll took over as Diocesan Administrator for a second time.
Williams wrote to Fr
Bishop
asking for a briefing on his current
circumstances so that he could advise Bishop Carroll. In May 1987, Fr
replied that he had been ministering and had just completed a long
retreat in a Jesuit retreat house. He said that he was continuing therapy and
331
was being helped and advised to seek permanent work.
He asked for a
reference from the Archdiocese.
20.137
In June 1987 an official from the diocese of Sacramento spoke to
Monsignor Stenson on the telephone. The official gave a summary of Fr
activities throughout the American west and mid-west during the
month of May and was quoted by Monsignor Stenson as saying “Urgent to
get him out of the USA – to anywhere.”
Withdrawal of faculties
20.138
Bishop Williams wrote to Fr
reference.
declining to give him the letter of
Bishop Carroll wrote to him to say he had consulted with the
auxiliary bishops and had decided to withdraw his faculties with effect from
June 1987. He further withdrew permission to seek pastoral work in the USA.
He recalled him to a residential course in Stroud. He said that any failure to
comply with these instructions would mean that he (Bishop Carroll) would
start a canon law penal process under canon 1395 (see Chapter 4).
20.139
This was undoubtedly the most direct letter sent by the Archdiocese to
Fr
in the ten years that the Archdiocese had been dealing with the
fall-out from his sexual molestation of boys. Not surprisingly, Fr
was
shocked by this new direct approach. Nevertheless, he still made a last ditch
effort to avoid returning to Stroud. This did not succeed.
20.140
Fr
arrived back in Stroud in July 1987. By coincidence the
priest now in charge of Stroud, Fr Livingstone, was the same man who had
been in charge in Jemez Springs when Fr
was there in 1983 and
when he was diagnosed as a paedophile whose tendencies could only be
controlled by anti-androgenic medication. Interestingly, this man‟s report to
the Archdiocese in July 1987 makes absolutely no reference to that crucially
important diagnosis, or to Fr
adherence or otherwise to the drug
treatment regime that had been prescribed.
The report did state that Fr
was being evasive and perhaps deliberately dishonest. Stroud had
no confidence in his ability to control his psychosexual urges at that time.
They did not think that a longer period of treatment would improve the
situation as they would not be willing to risk recommending him for active
work in the priesthood.
The attending psychiatrist in Stroud raised the
332
possibility of Fr
being given permanent care in a supervised setting.
At Stroud‟s request, Monsignor Stenson travelled there to discuss the future
with Fr
. Monsignor Stenson noted that Fr
tended to gloss
over his history in the Dublin Archdiocese but he acknowledged the problem
there would be in recommending him elsewhere
. A number of possibilities were
discussed:
Laicisation - Fr
did not like this as he still had ambitions for a
return to active ministry when his problem was solved.
Dismissal – he would prefer this not to happen.
Early retirement and/or resignation: this seemed the most attractive
proposal from Fr
point of view because it would be seen as
a voluntary act on his part and not something imposed by the diocese.
20.141
At the conclusion of the meeting, Monsignor Stenson felt sorry for Fr
and compared him to the fugitive who did not quite know where to
turn. Monsignor Stenson‟s own view was that the psychiatrist‟s suggestion of
viewing Fr
as a disabled priest in need of custodial care with a very
limited ministry might be given further consideration but he recognised that it
was questionable if Fr
20.142
would be able or willing to do that.
After this meeting Fr
wrote to Bishop Carroll saying that
Monsignor Stenson was “realistic in his presentation of my case, but I thought
that all of it was very negative”.
Having pointed out some of the positive
features of his recent life, as he saw it, he concluded:
“If necessary, I would envisage resignation from the active ministry,
and that would include not involving myself actively in public ministry,
and that the diocese would have no responsibility for my future
conduct. That I would be given financial support in order to set myself
up and find work, (in justice because of my years of service). That the
diocese could say that I was a priest who had resigned from the active
ministry. These are my wishes in order of preference. I need trust,
compassion, justice and charity, I will be moving to my cousin‟s home
70 miles away”.
20.143
Bishop Carroll became anxious to ensure that Fr
was in a
monitored situation pending a decision in his regard. Stroud was prepared to
333
provide a room for him but he had already left Stroud and had gone to
relatives. He refused to go back. In August 1987, Bishop Carroll suspended
him from ministry. This suspension decreed that he could not say mass,
preach, hear confessions or receive stipends. He was also prohibited from
presenting himself as a priest, wearing clerical dress or seeking or engaging
in any form of pastoral ministry. Priests in the Archdiocese were not told of
this suspension.
20.144
Sometime in August 1987, Fr
moved to a centre in London
which specialises in therapy and reflection for members of religious orders
and clerics. Monsignor Stenson visited him there to tell him the terms of the
decree of suspension.
In September 1987, Fr
applied for
laicisation.
Laicisation
20.145
Monsignor Stenson prepared the documents necessary for laicisation
and these were transmitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
in Rome in October 1987. The application was accompanied by medical
reports prepared over the years in relation to Fr
. The reports
received from Jemez Springs in 1983 which diagnosed him as a paedophile
were not included.
The Commission asked Monsignor Stenson about this
and he explained that there were enough other reports to serve the purposes
of the process. He said that all the documents were not included: “you simply
make a succinct statement” in order to give Rome adequate information on
which to make a decision.
20.146
In November 1987, Bishop Carroll was not pleased to hear that Fr
intended to come back to Ireland. One of his secretaries sent a
memo to Monsignor Stenson stating that Bishop Carroll wanted to send a
letter to Fr
England.
indicating Bishop Carroll‟s wish that Fr
remain in
The memo concluded “Even if the letter arrives after his departure
it would in some way cover the Diocese”.
20.147
Unfortunately for the Archdiocese, Fr
was already in Ireland.
He had managed to get a live-in job in a rural college as a supervisor of
studies. Monsignor Stenson contacted priest friends of Fr
in order to
addressing him as “MrXXXXXXX
locate him. He then wrote to Fr
334
" and stating Bishop Carroll‟s regret that he had not seen fit to inform
Bishop Carroll of his plans to return to Ireland nor indeed to seek his
permission to return to Ireland.
Monsignor Stenson also rang Fr XXXXXX
new employers and advised them that “we have found him not to be a
suitable person working with young people”.
The employment was
terminated.
1988
20.148
The documents do not reveal, and the Commission has been unable
to ascertain, where Fr
went after he lost this post. It is known that a
number of lay people and clerics were supportive of him in the various
parishes in which he had worked. He was still in the country in January 1988
when Monsignor Desmond Connell was announced as the Archbishop-elect
of the Dublin Archdiocese. At a meeting of the auxiliary bishops in January
1988, which the Archbishop-elect attended, Bishop O‟Mahony reported to his
colleagues that there was a complaint that Fr
had, once more,
committed a sexual assault. The assault had taken place in a school outside
the diocese and was perpetrated on a 14 year-old-boy who Fr
had
first spotted a year and a half earlier when on holiday in a priest‟s house in a
had gone to the boy‟s school, had
rural part of the diocese. Fr
celebrated mass despite the decree suspending him from doing so, and had
then sexually assaulted the boy. It is not known how Fr
managed to
get to say mass at this school but it is rather astonishing to note that the
headmaster of this school was also subsequently convicted of child sexual
abuse. The bishops decided to locate Fr
, to send word to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith immediately and to contact a
psychiatrist.
20.149
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he had no memory of that
meeting but he was already aware that Fr
had problems because
Archbishop Ryan, who was a good friend, had told him so some years earlier.
20.150
Bishop Carroll immediately wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith telling them of the most recent incident and asking that Fr
be reduced to the lay state as quickly as possible “otherwise
immense scandal and damage will ensue both for the Church and the
priesthood in this Diocese”.
335
20.151
When Fr
was located, he was sent to St Patrick‟s Hospital
under the care of Dr John Cooney in late January 1988. It appears that all of
the medical reports held by the Archdiocese were forwarded to Dr Cooney.
Dr Cooney told Monsignor Stenson that Fr
had very little insight and
very little motivation. He suggested that he be put on a drug called Anquil, a
drug frequently used to control deviant, anti-social sexual behaviour.
February 1988, Dr Cooney told Monsignor Stenson that Fr
In
was full
of “psycho-therapy” and that the psychotherapy was deemed counter
productive, in the sense that it had given Fr
a language to provide
more elaborate rationalisations for his behaviour. Dr Cooney was of the view
would be more “codology”.
that psycho-therapy at this point for Fr
20.152
While in hospital, Fr
told Dr Cooney that he was in the
process of obtaining a green card for the USA and that he already had a job
lined up there. Fr
told Monsignor Stenson that he had a job offer in
Stockton, California, to work with the homeless. Stockton was the only one of
the Californian dioceses that had not been warned about Fr
bishops wanted to know more about this job offer. Fr
. The
refused further
information. He considered that it was not the business of the Archdiocese
and he was adamant that the diocese would not once again prevent him
obtaining employment in the USA. He also stated that he did not wish the
hospital to have any further communication with the diocese and indicated
that he would refuse treatment for so long as the hospital continued to
communicate with the Archdiocese. He also told Monsignor Stenson that he
was making great progress in the hospital and that after his stay there he
would be cured. This self diagnosis was completely at odds with the view
expressed by Dr Cooney.
20.153
Monsignor Stenson made inquiries of the Church authorities in
Stockton about the proposed employment.
He discovered that the job
involved the housing of homeless people and research into its causes. The
community which was proposing to employ him consisted of six people all of
whom were adults. There was no Church link or connection.
20.154
The matter of Fr
was on the agenda at all the auxiliary
bishops‟ meetings in early 1988. Fr
336
left the hospital sometime in
February 1988 and appeared to be staying in Co Wexford, as a priest friend
had received a card from him from there. He was, however, in contact with
the Archdiocese as he was looking for the keys of his car which Bishop
O‟Mahony was refusing to return to him.
As far as the bishops were
concerned, their options were either to let him go to the USA, where
according to the note of the bishops‟ meeting, “he could take medication and
therapy, or stay in Ireland and end up in Mountjoy”.
20.155
The bishops decided to let him go to the USA. They, in effect, set him
loose on the unsuspecting population of Stockton, California. There is no
record that they notified the bishop of Stockton of his arrival. They did get a
report from Dr Cooney which is misleading
. It refers to Fr
continuing to receive
therapy (which had previously been described as more „codology‟) and
medication in America in circumstances where, given his history, both the
doctor and Bishop O‟Mahony should have known that he was unlikely to
continue to take any libido-suppressing medication. Bishop O‟Mahony wrote
to the psychiatrist to thank him for his “valuable” report.
20.156
Archbishop Connell was consecrated Archbishop of Dublin in March
1988. That same month, Fr
rescript of laicisation came through
from Rome. Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he was relieved when
this came through. When asked by the Commission if he felt he had any
further responsibility for this now former priest, Cardinal Connell said: “I think
that that was a matter that Monsignor Stenson was looking after in the
chancellery”. Cardinal Connell went on to point out that, as he was laicised,
the Archdiocese now had no control over him.
20.157
Just a week after Mr
was laicised, a garda inspector
telephoned Archbishop‟s House asking about his whereabouts. He explained
to Monsignor Stenson that he was following the DPP‟s instructions to
investigate the original complaint
.
Monsignor Stenson noted in a contemporaneous memo that the garda
inspector, on being informed that Mr
was in the USA, commented
that this made his task much easier in that “they will hardly send me to
America for him”. That same afternoon, the inspector called to Archbishop‟s
House and, according to Monsignor Stenson‟s contemporaneous notes,
337
informed Monsignor Stenson “the Guards are aware that should the matter
surface in the Sunday World in two or three years time it is important for them
to have covered their tracks. Hence the present enquiry”.
20.158
20.159
There the garda investigation ended. No inquiries were made as to
whether or not Mr
had on-going connections with Ireland and was
likely to return, or as to whether or not he had friends or acquaintances in the
Archdiocese with whom he was likely to remain in contact.
Back in the USA
20.160
In May 1988, the diocese of Sacramento wrote to Bishop Williams
expressing surprise that
, whom less than a year earlier they
had advised should be removed from the USA to anywhere, was now back in
their region.
Sacramento diocese had learned of his presence because he
had applied for a teaching job and the school had contacted them. The
diocese of Sacramento assumed, wrongly of course, that the Dublin
Archdiocese might not have been aware of his presence in Stockton. They
informed the Dublin Archdiocese that they had a duty which they intended to
fulfil, to notify Stockton diocese of the presence of Mr
. The
Archdiocese had an address for him because he had earlier written to Bishop
O‟Mahony. Bishop O‟Mahony undertook to send him a copy of his rescript of
laicisation. The Commission has not seen any evidence that it was in fact
sent at this time but Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he did send
it. A copy was sent to Sacramento diocese.
Dublin visits
20.161
There were no more inquiries from American dioceses and no fresh
complaints of sexual abuse were emerging in Dublin. Mr
regular contact with friends in the Dublin Archdiocese.
kept in
Though officially a
wanted man, he returned to Dublin on a number of occasions.
The
Commission is aware that he attended the funeral service for one of his
brothers, which appears to have occurred in 1992. The Gardaí were not
338
notified of his attendance, but given the garda approach to the matter in 1988,
the Commission is not convinced that any notification would have been acted
upon.
20.162
Mr
file was revisited by the Archdiocese in 1994/1995 when
clerical child sexual abuse was frequently in the headlines. In October 1995,
a priest of the Archdiocese wrote to tell the Archbishop that Mr
would
arrive in Dublin in October 1995 and intended remaining for ten days. The
priest was told that the information had been passed on to the Archbishop
and that nothing further was required of him. While Mr
was in the
country visiting his friends, some of whom were priests of the Dublin
Archdiocese, the first claim for civil damages arising out of his sexual abuse
of boys arrived in Archbishop‟s House.
This was made by the boy who
claimed to have been sexually molested in 1986 and whose parents had
immediately made a complaint to the Gardaí. The Archdiocese did not tell the
Gardaí that Mr
20.163
was in Dublin in October 1995.
In November 1995, Monsignor Stenson forwarded a copy of his
laicisation rescript to Mr
in California. He also informed him about
the claim for compensation.
20.164
In November 1995, the Archdiocese disclosed to the Gardaí the
names of 17 priests against whom complaints of sexual assault had been
received. The name of
was not on that list. Monsignor
Stenson told the Commission that this was because he was no longer a priest
of the Archdiocese. The Commission asked Cardinal Connell why this was
and he stated: “because he was laicised, I presume”.
After 1995
20.165
After 1995, more complainants came forward. The Commission is
aware of 21 people who have made complaints.
20.166
In 1997, the
case was brought before the advisory panel.
The panel recommended that the civil case should not be contested.
further recommended that the parish priests of Mr
It
former parishes
be gathered together to be briefed on what to do if anyone came in seeking
help or who might need help in the future. This recommendation does not
339
appear to have been acted on. As individual complaints came in, the parish
priests appear to have been informed on a need to know basis. Similarly, the
abused who came forward were not told the truth.
Their accounts were
listened to and counselling was offered, but they were not validated or
vindicated by the Archdiocese by being given the truth as the Archdiocese
knew it.
There was one exception to that approach. Fr Cyril Mangan, as
assistant delegate, did tell one of Mr
victims of his history, to the
extent that it was known to Fr Mangan.
20.167
Mr
planned yet another visit to Dublin for June 1998.
Archbishop‟s House was informed of his plans by a priest friend in January
1998. There is a memo on file which states that Monsignor Dolan, having
taken legal advice, phoned the priest friend of Mr
“Because
and told him:
had been laicised, it would not be
appropriate for the diocese to take any active part.
However, I
outlined the perspective in respect of the following:
(i)
He is suspect of serious crime;
(ii)
If [name of priest] becomes aware of his presence in
Dublin, the Gardaí should be informed;
(iii)
If we become aware of his presence in Dublin we will
inform the Gardaí.”
20.168
The Commission questioned Mr
friend about this memo
and he was adamant that precise instructions of the type outlined were not
given to him by the Archdiocese. As far as he was concerned he had given
them the relevant information to allow them to act. Monsignor Dolan disputes
this and maintains that his memos are an accurate reflection of what
occurred. Nonetheless, the fact is that the Archdiocese did not act on this
information nor, indeed, did Mr
priest friend. They chose not to do
so despite the fact that they were given specific dates when he would be in
Dublin and the specific function that he was travelling to attend.
20.169
Mr
did arrive in Dublin in June 1998. He held a function in a
hotel to which his various clerical and lay friends and family were invited. The
Gardaí were not notified of his presence.
340
20.170
Insofar as the Commission has been able to establish, Mr
has not been back to Ireland since 1998. However, the Commission has
established that he is in regular contact by way of letter or Christmas card
with a number of clerical friends in the Archdiocese who have been aware of
his whereabouts since his departure in 1988. He wrote to Bishop O‟Mahony
on one occasion in 1995. One of these friends visited him in California in the
late 1990s. It appears that he has been able to secure employment as a lay
minister officiating at removals and burials.
20.171
New complainants continued to emerge and further civil proceedings
were issued against the Archdiocese.
The diocese adopted a legalistic and
defensive position in relation to the civil proceedings while at the same time
offering what was described as „pastoral support‟ to the victims. Despite the
growing evidence of the extent of Mr
criminal behaviour and
despite the Archdiocese‟s declared policy of not protecting abusers and
despite the fact that his location was known within the Archdiocese, and was
readily ascertainable on inquiry, the Gardaí were not notified of Mr
whereabouts.
Further garda inquiries
20.172
As already described, the garda investigationXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
came to an end when it was established that Mr
had left Ireland in
1988. The garda inspector involved was interviewed by the Commission and
stated that from then on, he checked the Dublin Diocesan Guidebook74 each
year to see if there was a mention of
. It appears to the
Commission that this was a rather futile and useless exercise in
circumstances where he had been informed that Mr
had been
laicised.
20.173
In 2003, the inspector, who was by then a senior officer in the Gardaí,
did re-visit the issue.
In February 2003, he wrote to Archbishop Connell
setting out the fact of his previous inquiry in 1988 and asking if the
Archdiocese had an address for Mr
74
.
This is an annual publication published by the Archdiocese listing, among other things, the
names of the priests serving in the Archdiocese.
341
20.174
Between 1988 and 2003 not a single inquiry had been made by the
Gardaí in relation to this matter. In the Commission‟s view, it is difficult not to
conclude that the renewed interest in the complaint in 2003 was prompted
more by a fear of public opprobrium then by any realistic prospect of
successfully concluding the investigation.
20.175
342
The Commission’s assessment
20.176
This case encapsulates everything that was wrong with the
archdiocesan handling of child sexual abuse cases. The story speaks for
itself.
Archbishop Ryan not only knew about the complaints against Fr
, he had a considerable understanding of the effects of abuse on
children. This is one of the few cases in which he took a close personal
interest. He protected Fr
to an extraordinary extent; he ensured, as
far as he could, that very few people knew about his activities; it seems that
the welfare of children simply did not play any part in his decisions.
20.177
Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that “this case was
dreadfully, very poorly handled” and “a much more decisive decision should
have been made earlier”. That, in the Commission‟s view, is a considerable
understatement.
20.178
In a saga in which there are very few participants who can be
commended, the Commission notes the thorough investigation
carried out by Canon McMahon and the decisiveness of Bishop
Carroll.
20.179
The connivance by the Gardaí in effectively stifling one complaint and
failing to investigate another, and in allowing Fr
is shocking.
to leave the country
It is noteworthy that the Commission would not have been
aware of the Garda activity in question were it not for the information
contained in the Church files.
343
Fr Horatio*75
Chapter 21
Introduction
21.1
Fr Horatio was born in the 1940s and ordained in the 1960s. He
served in a number of parishes and eventually became a parish priest. He is
now retired from ministry.
First complaint, 1980
21.2
In 1980 the parents of a 15-year-old boy complained to the
Archdiocese that Fr Horatio had abused their son after he had met him in a
gay club.
Monsignor Glennon and Bishop Forristal met the boy and his
parents and subsequently met the priest. Fr Horatio said he had thought the
boy was over 18 and that the boy had touched him first. Fr Horatio told them
that, two years earlier, he had volunteered to be part of the apostolate of the
Church to homosexuals.
He had consulted Bishop Kavanagh who had
consented. It was through this ministry that he had met the boy. Monsignor
Glennon concluded that Fr Horatio spoke “convincingly and with restraint”.
He “confessed that he had been foolish on several occasions”.
In his
covering letter to the Archbishop, Monsignor Glennon said that this “young
man” (meaning Fr Horatio) had got a “fright” and that he and Bishop Forristal
thought the priest “candid and clear”.
21.3
At the time of this complaint, Fr Horatio was involved in marriage
counselling and in teaching adults. It is clear that Archbishop Ryan consulted
the two priests who were Fr Horatio‟s superiors in these activities and he also
consulted Bishop O‟Mahony.
The marriage counselling superior suggested
that Fr Horatio be allowed to continue his marriage counselling work as this
would “save him embarrassment and loss of face with counsellor and priest
colleagues” as “a sudden change to a curacy in the more immediate future
would, I think, raise unhelpful questions and be an occasion for unwelcome
comment”. He should also be moved from his present “too easy” chaplaincy
which would ensure that he would be “usefully occupied” at weekends and
put him in touch with the “mainstream”. On the occasion of his appointment
as parish chaplain, the Archbishop should explain to him “how delicate and
how very dangerous is the work of counselling homosexuals”. He should be
75
This is a pseudonym.
344
told that a number of priests and laypeople now regarded him as someone
“closely associated with the „Gay Rights‟ people. To what extent he is
involved, I cannot say, but one must ask the question, „What effect does all
this have on his credibility as a marriage counsellor?‟”.
21.4
Apparently, Fr Horatio had come away from the meeting with
Monsignor Glennon and Bishop Forristal with the “impression that what he
was doing was all right and he could continue to help „GR‟ as he had been
doing. It seems to me that there is need for clarification of his role in respect
of „GR‟.”
21.5
Neither his superior in his teaching position nor Bishop O‟Mahony
saw any reason why he should be moved from his teaching position at that
stage. He was moved to another chaplaincy.
1989
21.6
In 1989, Fr Horatio approached Bishop Murray and told him that he
was attracted to a young girl in a family to which he was close. He said there
was no physical relationship but he had emotional difficulties. It was decided
to move him to another parish. It subsequently became apparent that there
was more to this attachment than had been told to Bishop Murray.
Report to Gardaí, 1995
21.7
In 1995, as a result of the Archdiocesan review of all relevant files, it
was decided that the 1980 complaint should be reported to the Gardaí and
that Fr Horatio should have a fitness for ministry review. Fr Horatio was
named in the first list of priests given to the Gardaí by the Archdiocese in
November 1995. The boy was contacted by the Gardaí but he did not wish to
make a complaint. A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP) for instructions in February 1996. Monsignor Stenson queried with the
Gardaí why a file had been sent to the DPP even though there had been no
formal complaint. He noted in March 1996 that he had been informed that the
Garda procedure in such cases was to complete the file and send it to the
DPP, even though no action could be taken, unless the person withdrew the
complaint and said there was no substance to it. If the complaint was not
withdrawn, it was interpreted as having been lodged but that the party
involved did not wish to pursue it at that moment.
345
21.8
In March 1996 the DPP stated that directions could not be given
regarding prosecution as the question had never been a live issue. They
could only “note that there was no evidence against the suspect at present”.
Anonymous complaint, 1996
21.9
In January 1996, Archbishop Connell received an anonymous letter
alleging that Fr Horatio had had a sexual relationship with the writer when he
was 19 years old and that Fr Horatio had also had a sexual relationship with a
15-year-old and that he was continuing to have homosexual relationships.
Bishop O‟Mahony dealt with the matter. Fr Horatio told Bishop O‟Mahony that
he thought this complaint related to the 1980 incident.
It is clear to the
Commission, from other documentation, that he was correct in his
assessment. The complaint did refer to the 1980 incident. Bishop O‟Mahony
arranged for an assessment at the Granada Institute.
21.10
Fr Horatio told Granada that he had had a sexual relationship with a
married man. He admitted touching and hugging the 15-year-old who had
complained in 1980, whom he had presumed was over 18.
In June 1996,
Granada concluded that Fr Horatio was predominantly heterosexual but with
some capacity to respond emotionally and sexually to adult males. He did not
have a high sexual drive and there was no evidence of attraction to children
or adolescents. He showed no signs of a “compulsive tendency to act out
sexually” and was unlikely to become involved in “homosexual encounters” in
the future. From a clinical point of view, there were no substantive reasons to
restrict his ministry, other than to the gay community.
21.11
In July 1996, Dr Patrick Walsh of Granada attended a meeting of the
advisory panel to discuss this case. At the start, the chairman of the advisory
panel asked Dr Walsh if it were possible to make an informed judgment after
three meetings. Dr Walsh replied that he judged Fr Horatio to be very open
and honest: “Usually and obviously dealing in this area we get denial and
minimalisation but one gets a sense over the course of interviews”.
He
pointed out that it was critical to have as much information as possible about
any complaints or concerns.
21.12
In terms of treatment and assessment, Dr Walsh said:
346
“From the beginning of the assessment one is involved in treatment.
There is an invitation to individuals to take responsibility for past
actions and that is how we try to connect with them. We are surprised
by the level of co-operation of clerical abusers. Quite a number of
people have been compliant with the process and that is a start. We
also take for granted that there is a lot more. It takes time for full
openness to develop - but that is down the road in the process”.
21.13
In relation to Fr Horatio, Dr Walsh told the advisory panel that he had
not included in his report the priest‟s admission of a relationship with a
woman whom he had wanted to marry. It is clear that the members of the
panel had no idea of the woman‟s age at the time the relationship began and
assumed that she was in the priest‟s age group. It subsequently became
clear that this was not the case. Dr Walsh told the Commission that the priest
did not tell him the truth about this relationship. Dr Walsh understood that she
was an adult, that the relationship had ended and had been divulged to and
dealt with by his bishop.
21.14
In response to a question from a panel member that, if Fr Horatio was
predominantly heterosexual, why his ministry should be confined in relation to
homosexuals, Dr Walsh replied that it was “precautionary and to prevent
people drawing conclusions”.
21.15
Dr Walsh recommended that Fr Horatio stay in treatment for 12
months and meet Monsignor Dolan every four months. The panel supported
Dr Walsh‟s recommendations and they were accepted by Archbishop
Connell. Monsignor Dolan met Fr Horatio and reassured him that he was not
considered to be in the child sexual abuse category: “if he was, he might not
still be in ministry and there would be a greater level of supervision on him”.
21.16
In subsequent reports in December 1996 and in April 1997, Dr Walsh
said that Fr Horatio was no longer in need of individual therapy. He reported
that Fr Horatio remained very aware that he needed to avoid involvement with
gay men. However, he had not experienced any need or desire to establish
such an involvement or to act out sexually in any way.
347
Dr Walsh concluded
that he was stable and conscientious and could continue in his work as a
priest without restrictions.
21.17
In August 1997, Fr Horatio became a parish priest. In September
1997 the advisory panel recommended to the Archbishop that the case
should be concluded.
Adult complainant
21.18
In November 1997, the previously anonymous complainant, who had
contacted Archbishop Connell in January 1996, made a signed complaint that
Fr Horatio had sexually assaulted him on several occasions when he was 19
years old. As this is not a complaint of child sexual abuse, the Commission
did not examine its handling in detail. However, it was connected to the child
sexual abuse complaint which had been made in 1980. Many attempts were
made by the Archdiocese to meet the complainant to discuss his allegations
but he was reluctant to meet.
In 1999, the Archbishop requested the
convening of an emergency meeting of the advisory panel to discuss the
case. In advance of this, Dr Walsh‟s views were sought and he wrote that
there was insufficient reason to remove Fr Horatio from ministry on the basis
of the second complainant‟s communications as it appeared that Fr Horatio
had resolved the issues that had affected him previously. He did say that it
would be useful for the priest to have a review assessment, “to document his
current level of functioning and level of risk for acting inappropriately”, but this
never occurred. In June 1999, the advisory panel concluded there was no
reason to change its conclusions reached in 1996 and 1997 that there was no
“substantive risk to minors” if Fr Horatio continued in ministry.
However,
“with hindsight”, it was “possible that the panel might have had reservations”
about appointing Fr Horatio as a parish priest.
21.19
The panel recommended that Fr Horatio should meet Dr Walsh again
with a view to assessing the need for ongoing therapy and that the delegate
should explore with him the possibility of voluntary early retirement “both to
reduce the risk of scandal and also for his own sake”.
21.20
Meanwhile, Fr Horatio had told his curate about this complaint. The
curate was angry about the situation because he had already been in a parish
with an abuser. The curate was not told of the 1980 complaint. In a letter to
348
Monsignor Dolan, the curate said that while he was aware it was not looked
upon as a case of child sexual abuse, “even though this may be debated in
other circles”, it was inappropriate to appoint him to the same parish as Fr
Horatio, given his (the curate‟s) “circumstances in previous appointments”.
Monsignor Dolan, of course, was not involved in or consulted about Fr
Horatio‟s appointment as a parish priest.
21.21
Monsignor Dolan had agreed with Fr Horatio that he should meet Dr
Walsh annually but this did not happen.
The advisory panel‟s suggestion in
relation to Fr Horatio, namely that the delegate discuss the possibility of early
retirement with him was not pursued. In 2005, in the course of investigating
this case, Fr Aquinas Duffy spoke to Bishop Field, the area bishop, who said
he was not aware that a formal complaint had been made in 1980.
He
thought that the only issue was in relation to the adult who had complained.
Bishop Field suggested at that stage that Fr Horatio meet Dr Walsh again. In
January 2005, Dr Walsh confirmed that he had not seen Fr Horatio since
1999.
He stated that the advice he had offered in his 1997 report that Fr
Horatio did not require therapy continued to be appropriate.
The advisory
panel was told this in January 2005 and it agreed that the file on Fr Horatio
was closed: “The only issue of concern is always the threat of public scandal”.
Further complaint, 2005
21.22
In September 2005, Archbishop Martin received a letter from a
woman‟s solicitor seeking compensation for “repeated and wanton acts of
sexual abuse perpetrated on her as a young girl” by Fr Horatio between 1987
and 1990 when she was aged 16 to 19 years. The alleged abuse was stated
to have taken place in a number of locations, including holiday homes which
were available to Fr Horatio. The key to one such holiday home was given to
him by Fr Sean Fortune, a notorious child sexual abuser from the diocese of
Ferns. Fr Horatio said that the only link between him and Fr Fortune was that
they both lived in the same area at the time.
21.23
This woman said that Fr Horatio began to talk of marriage in 1989. Fr
Horatio told the Archdiocese that he went to see Bishop Donal Murray in
1989, told him the “whole story” and asked to be released from the priesthood
and laicised. He said that Bishop Murray responded that he should take
some time to consider it and that he would be moved to another parish. Fr
349
Horatio began to make provision for earning a living. He moved parishes as
already described. The relationship continued for some months.
He said
that the woman ended the relationship in 1990.
21.24
Bishop Murray‟s evidence to the Commission is that he was not told
the whole story (in 1989) about Fr Horatio‟s relationship with the woman. The
bishop was not aware that there was a sexual relationship nor was he aware
of her age when the relationship began.
21.25
Archbishop Martin asked Fr Horatio to step down from ministry. The
Archdiocese made extensive inquiries. It transpired that a number of priests
were aware of the relationship between Fr Horatio and the girl at the time and
it was thought that he had intended to leave the priesthood and marry her.
There did not seem to be a great awareness of her age at the time.
21.26
In the course of the inquiries, Fr Horatio admitted for the first time that
he had abused a boy of about 15 in 1983/4. He had never told anyone about
the incident. He said that he did not tell Dr Walsh about that boy during his
assessment in the mid-1990s because he felt he was in enough trouble. He
had told Dr Walsh about the woman but did not discuss it fully.
21.27
The Archdiocese reported to the HSE and the Gardaí in accordance
with the procedures. The woman complainant was offered counselling.
21.28
A draft statement to be read out at Sunday masses in Fr Horatio‟s
parish was read to him. He was unhappy about the use of the phrase “child
sexual abuse” as people would think he had abused a small child.
The
statement was re-worded to say that he was temporarily standing aside as
parish priest because of an inquiry into an allegation of the “sexual abuse of a
minor”.
When the statement was being read out, an explanation was given
that a minor is a person under the age of 18 and not necessarily a young
child. Some weeks later, Bishop Field reported that there was some anger in
the parish about the statement and that a nun had told him it should have
been made clearer that it was not a case of paedophilia.
21.29
Fr Horatio was again sent for assessment to the Granada Institute. In
October 2005, the advisory panel recommended that a canonical precept be
350
imposed on him and said it did not see “any prospect of a return to ministry”
by him. It recommended that he continue therapy on an active basis and that
appropriate monitoring be provided.
In November 2005, Archbishop Martin
accepted his resignation as parish priest and he was nominated as a
beneficiary of the Clerical Fund Society.
A precept decreed that he was not
to celebrate mass in public and that only those who knew the reason for the
decree could attend any private mass; he was to have no unsupervised
contact with minors, including all informal contact such as being alone with
them in their homes or any other setting; he was not to wear clerical garb and
he was to continue to consult on an ongoing basis with the Granada Institute.
21.30
The Archdiocese gave all the information which it had concerning Fr
Horatio to the Gardaí.
The Commission’s assessment
21.31
Nothing happened as a result of the initial complaint even though Fr
Horatio accepted that the incident had occurred, even if he said he thought
the complainant was an adult.
This follows the usual pattern of such
complaints in the 1970s and 1980s.
There is one unusual aspect to the
handling of this complaint: Archbishop Ryan did tell a number of other people
and sought their views on what to do. The apostolate to the gay community
seems to have been an informal arrangement. The Commission considers
that it is quite appropriate to have such an apostolate but that it should have
been more formal and the priests delivering it should have been more
carefully chosen and monitored.
21.32
It is clear that quite a few people knew about the relationship between
Fr Horatio and the girl while it was going on. The Commission accepts that
they may not have known her age but it is astonished that, in this and many
other cases, the Church authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to
behaviour by priests which is clearly in breach of its laws, both moral and
canonical.
21.33
The Archdiocese dealt appropriately with the woman‟s complaint in
2005 and followed the agreed procedures.
However, the Commission is
concerned that the wording of the statement to the parish did try to minimise
the seriousness of the allegation. The allegation was of child sexual abuse –
351
the girl was 16 when the sexual activity began. Furthermore, Fr Horatio had
also admitted to abusing two 15-year-old boys.
352
Chapter 22
Fr Donal Gallagher
Introduction
22.1
Fr Donal Gallagher was a member of the religious order of the
Vincentians.
He was born in 1936, ordained in 1962 and died in 1994.
He
served in a parish in the Archdiocese of Dublin, St Peter‟s Phibsborough,
from 1975 to 1979. This parish is run by the Vincentians by agreement with
the Archdiocese. He was a teacher and chaplain at a secondary school in the
Archdiocese from 1980 to 1983 and he served in the parish again from 1983
to 1994.
22.2
There are 14 complaints of child sexual abuse against Fr Gallagher
known to the Commission. It is likely, on the basis of evidence reviewed by
the Commission, that he abused many more children.
22.3
Fr Gallagher was an alcoholic. A letter written by the provincial of his
order in 1989 shows that, in 1974, while director of vocations, he was
indulging in inappropriate behaviour with seminarians and altar boys. The
provincial said that he was shocked at the way Fr Gallagher used his hands
on them. There is no evidence that any action was taken by the order at the
time this was going on or, indeed, on foot of this letter.
First complaints
22.4
The first external complaint of child sexual abuse against Fr Gallagher
was made in 1981. Two young boys complained to the order that they had
been sexually assaulted while they were attending an international camp for
young people in north Dublin.
This camp was run by a friend of Fr
Gallagher‟s and was not connected with the Vincentians.
The order told the
Commission that there are no written records of what happened but “it is likely
that these complaints were instrumental in his move” from teaching to the
parish of St Peter‟s in 1983.
Fr Gallagher was not attached to the
Archdiocese at the time these complaints were made. There is no evidence
that the order told the Archdiocese about these complaints when he returned
to parish work. In effect, nothing at all seems to have been done about the
complaints other than to move him on.
353
22.5
Around this time, during the course of a retreat in the school to which
Fr Gallagher was attached, a member of the order asked the class in question
for their opinion of Fr Gallagher. The boys said they did not have much time
for the priest. One of the boys said “If Gallagher was in a room you made
sure to keep your back to the wall”.
22.6
Despite this, Fr Gallagher was allowed to remain as a priest teacher in
that school until he was transferred in the summer of 1983 to the parish of St
Peter‟s. Extraordinarily, in the circumstances, in September 1983 he was
appointed chaplain to St Mary‟s School for the Deaf.
St Mary’s School for the Deaf
22.7
Mary‟s.
Fr Gallagher started abusing girls as soon as he was appointed to St
A report was compiled in April 1985 by another member of the
Vincentians who was also a chaplain at the school. This report shows that a
complaint was made within a month of Fr Gallagher‟s arrival at the school. In
October 1983, in confession, Fr Gallagher embraced a 15 year old girl and
started plucking at her bra strap. This came to the attention of the other
chaplain who reported it to the principal. She spoke to Fr Gallagher and told
him that the pupil was upset by his behaviour. At the same time, some of the
senior girls complained to the other chaplain that Fr Gallagher was kissing
them in confession. The other chaplain assumed that the warning from the
school principal would suffice and took no further action. One complainant
told the Commission that Fr Gallagher would abuse her in confession by
putting his hand down her trousers. She was nine years old at the time. He
would have an altar bowl and a napkin at one side. When he had finished
abusing her he would wash his hands in the altar bowl and dry them with the
napkin.
22.8
In December 1984, there was “general fuss and skittishness” when
one of the classes in St Mary‟s were going to confession.
The principal
investigated the cause of this fuss and was told by the girls that Fr Gallagher
kissed each of them after confession. What the girls did not tell her at that
time was that during confession he used to run his hands all over their bodies
inside their clothing and then kissed them all on the lips at the end of
confession. The principal again spoke about the matter to Fr Gallagher who
said that, if the behaviour offended the girls, he would stop. The principal,
354
incredibly, felt that perhaps Fr Gallagher‟s approach reflected the newer
approach to the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) and took the matter
no further. The principal told the Commission that, when she read the draft of
this section of the report, she wondered how she “could have been so blind.
Abuse would not have entered my mind; I could not imagine a priest doing
anything like that.”
22.9
In February 1985, a number of parents complained to the principal
about Fr Gallagher‟s behaviour. They urgently requested that he be removed
from his chaplaincy. The principal told the Commission that, initially, she had
difficulty in believing them. She approached the other chaplain about the
problem and he talked to the provincial of the order. An investigation was
carried out by another Vincentian, Fr Cleary. He told the parents that Fr
Gallagher would be removed from the school and sent to a home in the
country. He was not sent to a home in the country. The school principal was
not informed about this investigation. In May 1985, Fr Gallagher attended a
school play staged by the pupils of St Mary‟s at a venue outside the school.
Subsequently, complaints were made by a number of other parents and, in
May 1985, a parent complained that her daughter had been sexually abused
in the kitchen by Fr Gallagher. The school principal was not aware of this
complaint and considers that the incident could not have occurred in the
school kitchen.
Fr Cleary spoke to the parents who had made new
complaints and compiled a report on all the complaints that had emerged.
22.10
Following Fr Cleary‟s report, it appears that Fr Gallagher may have
been sent for some sort of therapy but the Commission has been unable to
establish whether this therapy took place, and if it did, the nature of the
therapy.
In any event, he continued to minister in St Peter‟s and this meant
the children in that school had some exposure to him (as, indeed did children
of other local schools).
22.11
One complainant‟s mother, in her evidence to the Commission, stated
that, when her daughter made her confirmation a year or two later, Fr
Gallagher was one of the priests on the altar and that this upset her greatly.
The school principal has told the Commission that the confirmation took place
in St Peter‟s, and that Fr Gallagher was the master of ceremonies for the
confirmation.
This mother also told the Commission that she wrote to
355
Archbishop McNamara in 1985 to complain about Fr Gallagher but there is no
record of any such correspondence in either the Archdiocesan or the
Vincentian files.
22.12
In spite of the overwhelming evidence, and the knowledge of his
Vincentian superiors, that Fr Gallagher was an abuser, he was allowed to
continue as a curate in St Peter‟s for the next four years.
Stroud, 1989
22.13
In February 1989, Fr Gallagher was admitted to Stroud. The reasons
for his admission are not clear but the emphasis in the correspondence from
Stroud is on his alcoholism. A letter written by a parishioner in May 1989
makes it clear that his drinking had become uncontrollable. He would wander
the streets at night looking for houses prepared to take him in and offer him
drink. He was constantly at the bar of a local football club and quite often had
to be taken back to the presbytery by the club members.
Stroud asked a number of Fr Gallagher‟s friends to write to him telling
22.14
him how his behaviour affected them. One letter written by Fr Mark Noonan,
who had been appointed provincial of the Vincentians in 1986, detailed a
history of abuse going back almost 15 years.
In that letter Fr Noonan
referred to:
Fr
Gallagher using his hands on seminarians and altar boys in a
“shocking” manner when he was Director of Vocations;
his consistent drunkenness;
the view held by the school boys about him;
the abuse of the girls in the School for the Deaf.
22.15
He remained in Stroud for almost six months. The correspondence
from Stroud made it clear that his problem was not under control.
The
underlying tone was that alcohol was the primary problem. Nevertheless he
was returned to full duties. There is no record that any attempt was made to
monitor or control him, but his fellow priests in St Peter‟s were aware of his
history. The Archdiocese of Dublin had still not been informed.
356
22.16
He returned to Stroud in September 1989. The staff in Stroud at that
time were quite alarmed at his attitude and they suggested a further visit.
22.17
During a further visit in November the staff at Stroud stated: “It is quite
essential that he bring his anxieties about his perceived sexual orientation out
in the open and on the table”.
22.18
A behavioural contract was drawn up with him in December 1989.
The first four clauses dealt with his alcoholism.
In the next three he
undertook to avoid all contact with altar boys, to avoid being alone with
children and never to touch a child.
22.19
Fr Gallagher returned to St Peter‟s as curate and was allowed to
remain there unsupervised for the next four years.
His order has confirmed
to the Commission that, in all that time, they did nothing to see if he was
keeping to the terms of the behavioural contract.
Garda investigation, 1993
22.20
Early in 1993 a social worker was taking a group therapy session for
deaf girls in a training centre. Three of the girls who had been pupils in St
Mary‟s told her of the abuse.
investigation.
She contacted the Gardaí who initiated an
Statements were taken from the three complainants.
No
parents were interviewed, and no inquiries were made either at the school or
with the Vincentians.
The Gardaí interviewed Fr Gallagher who denied the
accusation completely. The sergeant who conducted the investigation stated
in his report: “Fr Gallagher is a professional man and strikes me as a sincere
and genuine individual. I can see no useful purpose to be gained by the
prosecution of Fr. Gallagher at this late stage”.
It was the view of the
sergeant that, due to the passage of time and the fact that the abuse had
been disclosed in a group therapy session, the chances of a successful
prosecution were slim. Whatever the chances, they were certainly not helped
by the decision not to seek any corroborating evidence.
22.21
A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who, on
the basis of the paucity of the information, the lack of corroboration and the
fact that the girls did not have completely accurate recall of events, decided
not to prosecute. The DPP went on to say: “I make this decision on the
357
evidence on file, and on the assumption that this is the only available
evidence”.
The DPP also said that the Superintendent had asked for
directions as to how the Gardaí should proceed with the investigation. The
DPP said that he would not presume to direct the superintendent in this
matter: “… if the Gardaí consider that further investigation is warranted, such
investigations should be carried out”.
22.22
There is no doubt that further investigation was warranted.
Corroboration and detail could have been provided by the parents and the
school authorities if such had been sought by the Gardaí.
22.23
The direction of the DPP was sent to the Gardaí in June 1993.
Around this time, there were newspaper reports about Fr Gallagher and the
way in which the parents who complained had been treated. Fr Gallagher
was not named.
The head of the order told Archbishop Connell that Fr
Gallagher was the person being referred to. This seems to be the first time
the order contacted the Archdiocese about Fr Gallagher. In June 1993, a
mother contacted the Archdiocese and told them that her daughter was the
complainant mentioned in the newspaper reports.
She met Monsignor
Stenson and the Archbishop. She told the Commission that neither the order
nor the Archdiocese had offered her daughter any form of counselling or
therapy.
22.24
Later in June 1993, Fr Noonan asked Fr Gallagher to abstain from all
public exercise of his ministry until the DPP had reached a decision. In fact,
the DPP had given his direction at this time but clearly Fr Noonan was not
aware of this.
1994
22.25
There is no evidence that the order to abstain from public ministry was
rescinded but it clearly was not being implemented. In May 1994, it was
alleged that Fr Gallagher was drunk while officiating at a baptism ceremony
and that, at a reception afterwards, he slapped one of the young men
attending on the backside and made advances towards two more young men
and a young girl. He was then suspended from all duties. Shortly afterwards
he was readmitted to Stroud where he died in June 1994.
358
22.26
The Gardaí revisited the file in 2003. This time, they got a statement
from the school authorities which confirmed that the complaints had been
made in 1984. Of course, it was now too late to do anything about this.
The Commission’s assessment
Church authorities
22.27
Fr Gallagher‟s victims were sadly failed by the Vincentians. Despite
the fact that there were suspicions about his behaviour as far back as 1974
he continued abusing both boys and girls over the next 20 years and, apart
from the period he spent in Stroud, no real efforts were made to curb his
behaviour.
It appears that his alcoholism was presented as an excuse and
accepted.
22.28
It is astonishing that Fr Gallagher was appointed as a school chaplain
in 1983 given what was then known about him.
22.29
It seems from the files that the Archdiocese was not aware of Fr
Gallagher‟s activities before 1993. The letter which the mother wrote in 1985
is not in the files. The Commission finds it surprising that the Archdiocese did
not hear something, even on the grapevine, of Fr Gallagher‟s problems given
that he was attached to a parish. The Commission is astounded that these
problems were not brought to the Archdiocese‟s attention by the Vincentians.
The Vincentians communicated with the Archdiocese only when the
newspaper reports appeared in 1993.
22.30
In spite of the knowledge available to both the Archdiocese and the
Vincentians, Fr Gallagher seems to have been left in place for a further year.
Gardaí
22.31
The
investigating
garda
sergeant
accepts
that
there
were
shortcomings in the investigation but submits that these arose due to the
nature of the offence and the manner of its reporting. The social worker who
brought the incidents of abuse in St Mary‟s to the attention of the Gardaí
acted promptly and appropriately.
359
Chapter 23
Fr Hugo*76
Introduction
23.1
Fr Hugo was born in 1909 and ordained in 1935. He died in 1988. He
had various appointments throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin, ending up as
parish priest in Blessington, following a period as a curate in Drimnagh.
Complaint, 1981
23.2
There is one complaint of abuse against Fr Hugo. This complaint was
initially made to the Archdiocese in 1981 but was not actually investigated
until 1995. The complaint relates to Fr Hugo‟s time in Drimnagh. He is
alleged to have abused a child from 1959, when the child was about 11 years
old, until 1976 when she was in her mid-twenties.
23.3
In 1978 the complainant told her sister about the abuse. She said that
Fr Hugo had been sexually abusing her continuously between 1959 and 1976
and the abuse included full sexual intercourse from the time she was a child.
At first she did not know what was happening to her. Fr Hugo sent her to a
nun to explain the facts of life. He also told her what to say in confession.
23.4
Fr Hugo lived alone in Drimnagh.
He was very involved with the
complainant‟s family and was a regular visitor to their house. He was very
popular and used to holiday with the family.
23.5
In 1981, the complainant‟s sister informed Bishop Forristal who was
then an auxiliary bishop of Dublin. A meeting with the bishop was arranged
and she was accompanied to that meeting by another priest. At this meeting,
the sister gave details of the abuse to Bishop Forristal. There was no followup of the complaint which she had made.
23.6
In evidence, Bishop Forristal agreed that he did meet the sister in
1981. Bishop Forristal said he had passed on the complaint either directly to
Archbishop Ryan or to one of his secretaries, but there are no details in the
Archdiocesan files of that complaint.
76
This is a pseudonym.
360
23.7
In February 1995, the sister wrote to Bishop Forristal referring to the
1981 meeting and asking why there had been no follow-up. She was aware
that Bishop Forristal had been the chair of a committee which was
responsible for drafting the Framework Document. She was anxious to know
why they had been let down and why nothing was done about their complaint.
23.8
Bishop Forristal replied indicating that he remembered her visit to him
in spring or early summer of 1981 and he remembered the priest who had
accompanied her. He was certain that he had informed Archbishop Ryan or
his secretaries of the complaint. He said that “as Auxiliary Bishop, I would
have regarded the Archbishop as the only person in the diocese who was
competent to deal with the priest and to pursue the case”.
He told her that
he had been unable to follow-up the matter as he had been appointed Bishop
of Ossory in July 1981 and his jurisdiction in Dublin had ceased. He advised
her to contact Archbishop Connell as he could no longer deal with cases
outside his diocese.
23.9
In March 1995, both the sister and Bishop Forristal contacted
Archbishop Connell to inform him of the complaints.
Archbishop Connell
asked Monsignor Stenson to investigate. Bishop Forristal confirmed the fact
that he had had the meeting in 1981 and he also said to Monsignor Stenson
that he had been told that Bishop O‟Mahony was looking after it.
23.10
At this stage, the priest who had accompanied the complainant had
moved abroad but Monsignor Stenson made contact with him and he
confirmed the meeting, and confirmed that Bishop O‟Mahony knew about the
complaint. Monsignor Stenson met the sister. She gave him the details of
the complaint and she mentioned that her sister had named others whom she
suspected had been abused by this priest. Monsignor Stenson checked with
Archbishop Ryan‟s secretary but he had no recollection of the 1981
complaint. The investigation did not go any further. In particular, Bishop
O‟Mahony does not seem to have been asked about his involvement. Fr
Hugo was dead at this stage.
23.11
Monsignor Stenson and Monsignor Dolan were in touch with the sister
on a number of occasions and offered counselling and an apology. The sister
was never asked to suggest that the alleged victim make a formal complaint
361
herself and no questions were asked about the others who may have been
abused. In response to this criticism, Monsignor Dolan said that, during the
course of his work as a delegate, he had gained considerable awareness of
the complex and sensitive issues relating to outreach to other possible
victims.
In particular, he observed that victims have a guilt when they
discover that others have been abused. His experience was that, as the
abuse involved an uninvited violation of a person, victims were sensitive to
unexpected and uninvited approaches from the Church. The Commission
could find very little evidence to support this contention by Monsignor Dolan.
23.12
The sister asked for and got a meeting with Bishop Forristal.
The Commission’s assessment
23.13
No attempts were made to deal with the original complaint made in
1981 even though it was made to an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese. Fr
Hugo was then occupying a prestigious position as a parish priest and there
is no record of him having been spoken to in relation to these matters. He
remained in his position as parish priest for a further three years.
23.14
Efforts were certainly made to deal with the matter when her sister re-
activated the complaint in 1995. However, at that stage, Fr Hugo was dead.
Counselling was offered to both the complainant and her sister.
There was
no follow up in respect of the others whom the complainant believed to have
been abused. The sister was satisfied with the response she received in
1995/1996. She was satisfied that her assertion that the original complaint
was not properly investigated was found to be valid. She felt that, had the
matter been more thoroughly investigated in the 1980s, some closure might
have been brought earlier to a very painful episode in her and her sister‟s life.
23.15
There is no record in the garda files of notification of the complaint to
them by the victim or the Church authorities.
362
Chapter 24
Fr Ivan Payne
Introduction
24.1
Ivan Payne was born in 1942 and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese
of Dublin in 1967. He was chaplain to Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children,
Crumlin77 for a number of years. The Archbishop of Dublin was then, and
continues to be, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the hospital.
Appointments in the Archdiocese of Dublin are generally clear and well
recorded.
Priests are notified in writing of new appointments. However, Fr
Payne‟s status in relation to Crumlin hospital is not clear for all of the years
during which he was associated with it. He was appointed as chaplain to the
hospital in February 1968. In October 1970 he started studies in University
College Dublin and was appointed as assistant priest in Mourne Road parish.
Crumlin hospital is located within the boundaries of that parish. It is not clear
if he was meant to continue in his role as chaplain to the hospital but he
clearly had access as such until 1974. Hospital records show that he did
most of the baptisms there in 1970/71 and continued to do baptisms until
1974. Fr Payne explained to Monsignor Stenson in 1995 that, as there was
no residential accommodation for a chaplain in the hospital, he lived with his
parents in Drimnagh until appointed to Mourne Road and continued nominally
as chaplain while in Mourne Road but the job was shared between the
Mourne Road priests. He was appointed curate in Mourne Road in August
1972 and continued his involvement with the hospital. He left there in August
1974 and studied abroad for two years.
24.2
Fr Payne was appointed to the Dublin Regional Marriage Tribunal in
1976 and he remained there until 1995.
During this time he was also
assigned to parishes and he lived in the parish accommodation. He was
appointed as parish chaplain in Cabra in 1976 and subsequently in Sutton in
1983.
He was regarded in the Archdiocese as being intellectually capable
and was generally held in high regard.
Consequently, his case was
particularly shocking for the people who worked in Archbishop‟s House.
77
This hospital is now called Our Lady‟s Children‟s Hospital, Crumlin.
363
Extent of abuse
24.3
Ivan Payne is a convicted serial child sexual abuser. The Commission
is aware of a total of 31 people who have made allegations of child sexual
abuse against him; 16 of these people allege they were abused during his
time as chaplain in Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin and the
vast majority are male. There are concerns or suspicions that a number of
other children were abused by him. He was convicted of indecent assault in
respect of ten victims and he served a prison sentence. Compensation has
been paid by the Archdiocese to nine78 of the victims in respect of whom he
was convicted and to three other victims. It is likely that some other victims
made claims to the Residential Institutions Redress Board79.
The
Archdiocese first heard a complaint about Fr Payne in 1981. The rest of the
victims came forward in the period from 1995 onwards – the majority in the
years 1995 and 1996; of these, seven were abused after the first complaint
had been made to the Archdiocese.
First complaint to the Archdiocese
24.4
The first complaint to the Archdiocese about Fr Payne was made in
November 1981. The complaint concerned the abuse of Andrew Madden.80
It was made by Andrew Madden‟s school guidance counsellor to Monsignor
Alex Stenson who had been appointed chancellor of the Archdiocese a month
earlier.
Monsignor Stenson compiled a comprehensive contemporaneous
written account of the allegations being made. The abuse took place in the
house in which Fr Payne lived while attached to Cabra parish. Fr Payne was
also working in the Regional Marriage Tribunal at the time. The abuse started
when Andrew Madden was about 12 years old (about 1976) and continued
until 1981. Andrew Madden visited Fr Payne‟s house every Saturday. The
abuse involved fondling and masturbation. Fr Payne described the abuse (in
1993) as “going as far as was necessary to get satisfied without unnecessary
violation”. Andrew Madden also mentioned that there was another boy who
78
79
80
Including Andrew Madden; technically, this compensation was paid by Fr Payne himself but it was
largely financed by the Archdiocese – see below.
Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin is a scheduled institution for the purposes of the
Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002. All dealings with the Residential Institutions Redress
Board are strictly confidential and it is an offence under Section 28 of the Act to disclose
information about claims under the Act.
Andrew Madden has described his experiences in his book Altar Boy: A Story of Life after Abuse
(Dublin: Penguin Books, 2004).
364
seemed to have a relationship with Fr Payne and who was particularly
vulnerable because of his home situation.
24.5
Monsignor Stenson was a part time chancellor. This was his first case
of this kind.
Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that he went to
Monsignor Gerard Sheehy for advice because Monsignor Sheehy was a
former Chancellor and he was the head of the Marriage Tribunal where both
Fr Payne and Monsignor Stenson worked at the time. Monsignor Sheehy
advised him to make detailed notes and to tell Archbishop Ryan. Monsignor
Stenson then told Archbishop Ryan who instructed him to ask Bishop
O‟Mahony to deal with it.
Role of Bishop O’Mahony
24.6
Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that, when he was appointed
as an auxiliary bishop (in April 1975), Archbishop Ryan gave him
responsibility for the pastoral care of priests, particularly younger priests.
This was not a written or formal appointment but it became known over a
period of time by the priests of the Archdiocese.
He says that this
appointment was the “source of my responsibility for the pastoral care of Fr
Ivan Payne at a very difficult time in his life”.
24.7
Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he was contacted by the
newly appointed Chancellor, Monsignor Stenson, sometime in November
1981 to say that there was a complaint against Fr Payne. Monsignor Stenson
told him that he (Monsignor Stenson) was not the right person to deal with it
as he and Fr Payne had been classmates and were currently working
together in the Marriage Tribunal.
Monsignor Stenson gave Bishop
O‟Mahony some background information.
Bishop O‟Mahony says that he
believed that Archbishop Ryan was aware of and approved of Monsignor
Stenson giving him responsibility for the case. However, Bishop O‟Mahony
“never received any instructions or brief to act on behalf of Archbishop Ryan
other than to deal with Fr Payne”. Bishop O‟Mahony described his role as
that of a “priest helper”, that is, he was required to “express the pastoral care
of the diocese rather than to be involved in the process of the case either
civilly or canonically”.
365
24.8
This absence of clear lines of authority is one of many reasons why
this case was badly handled at the time.
Bishop O‟Mahony saw himself as
having a pastoral role only. It is not at all clear that this is what Archbishop
Ryan meant him to do because Archbishop Ryan did not talk to him about it
and did not issue written instructions. The records suggest that Archbishop
Ryan did not take an active role in dealing with the complaint but left it largely
in the hands of Bishop O‟Mahony.
24.9
Bishop O‟Mahony met the school guidance counsellor who had made
the complaint. He then spoke to Archbishop Ryan who indicated that he was
considering removing Fr Payne from the Marriage Tribunal.
Bishop
O‟Mahony said that he thought it would be appropriate to have an
assessment of Fr Payne before that decision was made.
24.10
Bishop O‟Mahony met Fr Payne in December 1981.
Fr Payne
admitted guilt. Bishop O‟Mahony was “inclined to accept” that Fr Payne had
no other attachments. It is clear that Bishop O‟Mahony knew the extent of the
abuse and the age of the victim at the time of the abuse. Fr Payne said in
1993 that he had been assured by Bishop O‟Mahony that prosecution was
unlikely.
24.11
Bishop O‟Mahony went to see Professor Noel Walsh, Professor of
Psychiatry in UCD and a consultant psychiatrist, in his rooms in St Vincent‟s
Hospital.
He told the Commission that he “thoroughly briefed” Professor
Walsh about “the nature and circumstances of Andrew Madden‟s allegations
against Fr Ivan Payne”. He informed Professor Walsh that the “complainant
was male and a minor”.
24.12
Fr Payne was then sent to Professor Walsh for assessment. In his
report, Professor Walsh described Fr Payne as having “successfully
overcome the crisis in question”.
The report identifies this “crisis” as a
blurring of the boundaries between pastoral and personal with a 17-year-old
boy. The report states:
“His basic psychological difficulties centre around a friendship which
developed between himself and a seventeen year old youth in whom
Father Payne took an interest, initially in the hope of helping him with
his problems.
Gradually as the relationship developed it became
366
increasingly difficult to define the pastoral and counselling boundaries
and the relationship became more of a special friendship”.
24.13
Bishop O‟Mahony contends that the report is unclear as to whether the
complainant was 17 at the time Professor Walsh saw him or at the time the
“friendship” started. The Commission thinks it is quite clear that Professor
Walsh thought that the boy was 17 when the “friendship” started.
24.14
When Bishop O‟Mahony received Professor Walsh‟s report, he
informed Archbishop Ryan of its contents, gave his view that the report was
positive and recommended that Fr Payne‟s position be kept under review.
The report was not sent to Archbishop Ryan nor did he ask to see it. There
were no further communications between Archbishop Ryan and Bishop
O‟Mahony about Fr Payne.
Archbishop Ryan did not consult Bishop
O‟Mahony about moving Fr Payne to Sutton. Bishop O‟Mahony did not know
that Fr Payne had any involvement with a children‟s holiday home where he
had no official appointment.
Archbishop Ryan retired as Archbishop in
September 1984 in order to take up an appointment in Rome.
24.15
Bishop O‟Mahony made no contact with Andrew Madden or his family
at the time the complaint was made. He described this in 1996 as “a definite
pastoral omission and hard to understand as it ran contrary to Diocesan
policy even at that time”. Nobody seems to have made any effort to establish
who the other boy mentioned by Andrew Madden was.
Role of Professor Noel Walsh
24.16
Professor Walsh gave evidence to the Commission in July 2007. He
is now retired and he had destroyed the medical notes and records of all his
private patients in September 2006 in accordance with legal guidelines on the
retention and destruction of medical records.
24.17
He gave general evidence about his role in dealing with child sexual
abuse and then dealt with his involvement with Fr Payne. In general, he
made a distinction between clinical psychiatry and forensic psychiatry; he did
not regard his role as forensic. He was not there to judge his patient but to
see what he could do to help. He “was given no data as far as I can recall by
any of the bishops.
They didn‟t send me letters from parents who had
367
complained or anything. So I did not have the data which presumably led the
bishop or whoever to refer these patients to me”. As far as he can remember,
he did not get any written brief. Words like paedophile or child abuser were
never used; the priest “might have crossed a boundary” was a likely
expression. The priests he saw never admitted sexual activity. They might
have said that they had been over affectionate. His task was to determine if
they had psychiatric problems (whether they suffered from mental illness or
not); he was not there to judge whether or not they had done something
wrong.
24.18
priests.
He is adamant that he did not hear the specific allegations against the
Bishop O‟Mahony and/or Canon McMahon would say: “we are
concerned about this priest, there have been certain complaints against him
and we would like you to assess him…[T]he communication to me would
have been minimal”… [T]here was no such thing as a specific statement Fr X
has been accused of this, that or the other”.
24.19
Professor Walsh was asked what was the purpose of the psychiatric
assessment which he was doing. He said: “It‟s a good question. I mean,
you‟d have to really ask the Church or its representatives. I mean, I think at
the time there was a sense that perhaps they were mentally disturbed and
this is why they were behaving that way.
That isn‟t so in fact.
The
explanation for paedophilia is not a psychiatric one. It may be a factor but
only a factor”.
24.20
Specifically on Fr Payne, Professor Walsh described him as “a very
smooth person. I didn‟t believe him, even though he was a very interesting
man to talk to and interview”.
24.21
Bishop O‟Mahony did not “reveal to me the degree of interference with
the victims”.
Professor Walsh thought that Fr Payne was conducting an
inappropriate relationship with a 17 year old. Professor Walsh did not know
why Fr Payne was sent to him again in 1991 and 1994. He was not given any
extra information on these occasions.
24.22
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he did not feel well served
by the experts, including medical experts. This was put to Professor Walsh
368
by the Commission. Professor Walsh said that the medical or psychiatric
element is only one aspect of the problem: “if you say that the psychiatrist is
the expert who can give the answer, that is to simplify the nature of
paedophilia”.
Effectively, he said that the Church put too much faith in
psychiatry.
24.23
Bishop O‟Mahony agreed that psychiatrists were not generally given
written briefings. In the case of Fr Payne, he told the Commission that he
went to Professor Walsh‟s rooms and briefed him on the “actual nature and
circumstances of the case”. He told the Commission that oral briefings were
preferable as “I can be much more nuanced”.
He imagined that any
psychiatrist would have taken notes of what he was being told.
24.24
It is clear to the Commission that Professor Walsh cannot have been
told the precise nature of the complaint against Fr Payne. It is obvious from
his report, and he confirmed to the Commission, that he considered that the
complainant was 17 years old when some inappropriate relationship was
being conducted. (In 1982, all male homosexual relationships were illegal in
Ireland but 17 was the age of consent for heterosexual relationships.)
The
report is clearly based on incorrect information.
24.25
It seems that Bishop O‟Mahony was the only person who read
Professor Walsh‟s 1982 report.
It must have been obvious to him that
Professor Walsh was making a report based on false information.
Such
reports are, of course, useless.
Developments 1982 - 1993
24.26
In September 1982, Fr Payne was appointed to Sutton parish as
parish chaplain. It seems that the other clergy serving there, or subsequently
appointed there, were not informed of his background.
No supervisory
arrangements were put in place. The formal letter of appointment is from
Archbishop Ryan with the usual words of thanks for previous service.
369
24.27
Sometime before September 1984, Monsignor Sheehy asked
Archbishop Ryan to appoint Fr Payne as Vice Officialis81.
The Archbishop
resolutely refused this request. In June 1985, Monsignor Sheehy wrote to
Archbishop McNamara, who had succeeded Archbishop Ryan, suggesting
that Fr Payne be appointed Vice Officialis. Bishop Eamonn Walsh, who was
the Archbishop‟s secretary at the time, gave evidence to the Commission that
he did not know if Archbishop McNamara was aware of the complaint against
Fr Payne. Fr Payne was appointed as Vice Officialis that month. Monsignor
Sheehy said in 1997 that Archbishop McNamara did know of the complaint
and further said that Archbishop McNamara had spoken to Bishop O‟Mahony
about it.
24.28
In 1989, Andrew Madden rang Bishop O‟Mahony and asked to meet
him. He found the bishop “very personable and very nice and very warm”.
He raised the question of Fr Payne‟s presence in Sutton. Bishop O‟Mahony
told him that he had no reason to believe Fr Payne was sexually abusing
children in Sutton. Mr Madden replied that he (Bishop O‟Mahony) had no
reason to believe that Fr Payne had been sexually abusing him (Andrew
Madden) in Cabra at the time it was happening. Mr Madden found himself
“very un-reassured by his response. I thought it was very casual given the
serious nature of the risk to children at the time”.
Mr Madden had been
refused entry to Clonliffe College to train for the priesthood and was
convinced that this was because of his complaint in relation to Fr Payne.
Bishop O‟Mahony tried to reassure him that this was not so, but Mr Madden
did not believe him.
Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he
subsequently tried to contact Mr Madden a number of times but was unable to
do so. He met Mr Madden again in 1995 and it was, according to Bishop
O‟Mahony, “a friendly meeting”.
24.29
Fr Payne first came to the attention of Archbishop Connell in October
1991 when a question arose about promoting him from the Dublin Regional
Marriage Tribunal to be the President of the National Marriage Appeal
81
In canon law, „Officialis‟ is the title of a diocesan bishop's judicial vicar. The title „Judicial
Vicar‟ is now more generally used. The Judicial Vicar shares the bishop's judicial power over
the diocese and presides over the diocesan ecclesiastical court. The Vice Officialis is the
assistant or associate Judicial Vicar.
370
Tribunal. Archbishop Connell consulted the auxiliary bishops and was told by
Bishop O‟Mahony to look at Fr Payne‟s file in the secret archive. Having
discovered what had happened in 1981, Archbishop Connell decided not to
agree to his promotion. He satisfied himself that Fr Payne was not a danger
to children, but considered he could not agree to the promotion as he would
have to inform the other members of the Bishops‟ Conference about the
complaint.
This would, Cardinal Connell told the Commission, involve
“defaming” Fr Payne. He explained that defamation involved both the sin of
calumny and the sin of detraction. Calumny is the “unjust damaging of the
good name of another by imputing to him a crime or fault of which he is not
guilty”82. Detraction is the “unjust damaging of another's good name by the
revelation of some fault or crime of which that other is really guilty or at any
rate is seriously believed to be guilty by the defamer”. 83
So, defamation in
church law includes both true and untrue statements. Defamation in civil law
involves only untrue statements: “Defamation is committed by the wrongful
publication of a false statement about a person, which tends to lower that
person in the eyes of right-thinking members of society or tends to hold that
person up to hatred, ridicule or contempt, or causes that person to be
shunned or avoided by right-thinking members of society.”84
Many of the
failures to report appalling behaviour by clergy may well be attributable to a
wish to avoid committing the sin of detraction.
24.30
At this stage, Bishop O‟Mahony again sent Fr Payne to Professor
Walsh for assessment. There is no written report of this assessment, but it
appears from a subsequent report that Professor Walsh considered Fr Payne
not to be a risk.
This, of course, was still based on Professor Walsh‟s
misapprehension about the nature of the complaint.
24.31
Cardinal Connell was questioned by the Commission on how he
reached the conclusion that Fr Payne was not a risk. He said he “relied on
Professor Walsh‟s assessment and opinion”. When questioned on this, he
clarified that he did not read Professor Walsh‟s reports but instead relied on
Bishop O‟Mahony‟s version of Professor Walsh‟s assessment and opinion.
82
83
84
Catholic Online: Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia
Op cit
McMahon and Binchy, Law of Torts, (Dublin: Butterworths, 2000)
371
24.32
Fr Payne became President of the Canon Law Association of Great
Britain and Ireland.
24.33
In March 1992, Mr Madden wrote to Fr Payne looking for
compensation; he did not seek compensation from the Archdiocese.
Fr
Payne seems to have told Bishop O‟Mahony about this. Archbishop Connell
first heard of this when Mr Madden wrote to him in April 1993 complaining
about the delay in settling his claim.
The diocesan solicitors were acting for
Fr Payne. They thought that Fr Payne had been referred to them by the
Archdiocese.
When Archbishop Connell received Mr Madden‟s letter,
Monsignor Stenson spoke to Mr Madden and gave him Bishop O‟Mahony‟s
phone number.
The diocesan solicitors were instructed by Archbishop
Connell to offer Fr Payne financial assistance in disposing of the case. Fr
Payne was advised to get separate representation.
A settlement was
reached between Mr Madden and Fr Payne in May 1993. The financing of
that settlement was later to prove very controversial and is dealt with further
below.
24.34
In the context of these proceedings, Fr Payne admitted that he had
experienced sexual desire towards youngsters prior to Mr Madden and had
made moves on two boys and these were rejected. He claimed that he had
not interfered with children since.
Public knowledge of complaint, 1994
24.35
From August 1994, Mr Madden began speaking to a number of
journalists and the first media references to the payment began to appear. Mr
Madden was angry that the Church continued to deny that anyone had
received a payment as a result of clerical child sexual abuse. There were no
names in the public domain at this stage.
24.36
Fr Payne was sent for a third assessment to Professor Walsh. It is
clear from his report, issued in September 1994, that Professor Walsh was
still operating under a misunderstanding about the nature of the complaint.
24.37
In November 1994, Mr Madden wrote letters to the papers under a
pseudonym describing how his case had been handled. Archbishop Connell
discussed this development with Monsignor Sheehy and suggested Fr Payne
372
be sent for treatment. Monsignor Sheehy was the Judicial Vicar and so, was
Fr Payne‟s superior, but he had no official role in dealing with priests who
were abusing.
He had been a close friend of Archbishop Connell since
boyhood and was very influential. Cardinal Connell told the Commission that,
as knowledge emerged about the wrongdoing of Fr Brendan Smyth in
October 1994, he developed a greater understanding of what abusers were
capable of. Even though there were no new complaints, he considered that
prudence indicated that Fr Payne should be further evaluated. Monsignor
Sheehy wrote, unsolicited, what can only be described as a tirade about
anonymous letters and the unjust treatment of priests. Monsignor Sheehy‟s
concerns, as expressed in letters to Monsignor Stenson and Archbishop
Connell, were entirely related to the rights of the priest and the autonomy of
the Church. He considered that sending Fr Payne for treatment was unwise
and unjust and “a manifest invasion of his rights under the law of the Church”.
He believed that Fr Payne had not re-offended (it is not clear what basis he
had for this belief) and taking any action against him “could well destroy both
him and his priesthood”. He went on to comment generally on the Church‟s
approach to clerical child abusers:
“It is my opinion that there is a gross over-reaction on the part of many
of our Church authorities to this whole „paedophile crisis‟. I heard the
Cardinal85 on yesterday‟s radio specifically saying that, if there is a
reasonable suspicion against a priest in this area, he should be turned
over to the police for investigation and for whatever may follow from
that. This is panic; it is also wrong. It takes no account whatever of
the Church‟s own canonical procedures in dealing with situations of
this kind – procedures which long have been acknowledged and
accepted by the civil courts. There is, in my view, a real danger in all
of this that some of the local churches may, unthinkingly, try to solve
their problems at the risk of abandoning the autonomy which the Code
of Canon Law, now clearly based on Vatican II, has established for the
Church itself”.
1995
24.38
Fr Payne was sent to a therapeutic facility in the USA for a further
assessment. Fr Payne told the therapists there Mr Madden was 13 when the
85
Cardinal Daly, Archbishop of Armagh; the Fr Brendan Smyth controversy was raging at this
time.
373
abuse first started.
A lengthy report was issued in January 1995 which
showed, among other things, that Fr Payne:
“learned about sex in the seminary from the Archbishop of Dublin
who called in seminarians for discussions”;
denied sexual contact with anyone other than Mr Madden;
was sexually attracted to adolescent boys but was also sexually
attracted to adult men and women.
24.39
The therapeutic facility was inclined to believe that he had not
engaged in sexual activity with adolescents other than Mr Madden, but
recommended that he should have no unsupervised contact with minors. It
also recommended that he undergo residential treatment.
24.40
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he did read this report. Fr
Payne was not sent for residential treatment – it is not clear why. He did start
to attend the Granada Institute in Dublin. He was continuing to work in Sutton
parish (until June 1995) and in the Marriage Tribunal.
24.41
Mr Madden told his story on the Gay Byrne Show on RTE Radio 1 in
April 1995.
There were other media reports about the case.
The
Archdiocese issued a statement expressing regret and sorrow and a wish to
be involved in the healing process. The statement went on to deal with the
issues of the continuation in ministry by a priest who has offended and with
the financial settlement.
24.42
The statement said that:
“While the presumption where child abuse has taken place is that the
abuser will be removed and not be re-admitted to parish ministry,
situations can arise where ministry may be possible. A core concern
in such situations will be an evaluation of the potential risk to children.
Decisions of this nature are made on grounds which are carefully
considered and with the help of independent professional advice”.
On the finance issue, it stated:
“As reported in recent days, a priest settled a claim in respect of such
abuse. It has been suggested that this settlement was made by the
diocese. Save for assistance as herein described, it was not. It is not
374
and never has been the practice of the diocese to accept responsibility
for any such settlement by a priest. The priest did receive financial
assistance from the diocese to enable him to meet such claim, on the
basis that this would be repaid, and a substantial portion in fact has
already been repaid. The amount of the assistance is actually less
than amounts donated to the diocese by the Archbishop himself out of
his personal resources”.
24.43
During the early part of 1995, Monsignor Stenson heard reports from
Sutton of inappropriate behaviour by Fr Payne and told Bishop O‟Mahony.
There is no evidence that this was followed up. In June 1995, Fr Payne was
released from Sutton (he had asked for this as he felt he had too much work),
with the usual letter of thanks, and appointed chaplain to a convent. He did
not in fact move to the convent but moved to a flat in the grounds of
Archbishop‟s House instead. He did not get any subsequent appointment but
he does not seem to have been formally removed from ministry. It would
appear he had an agreement with Bishop O‟Mahony not to say mass in
public.
However, Monsignor Sheehy said he was doing supply work,
including some arranged by Monsignor Sheehy himself. Monsignor Sheehy
continued to campaign for him to be appointed to a chaplaincy. Cardinal
Connell told the Commission this supply work was not being done with his
knowledge or approval.
24.44
In July 1995, Mr Madden went public under his own name. Another
complainant then came forward; he had been speaking to Bishop O‟Mahony
since April but only named Fr Payne in July 1995. He claimed to have been
abused while in Our Lady‟s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin.
He was
advised by Bishop O‟Mahony to report the matter to the Gardaí.
Bishop
O‟Mahony explained to him that he could not guarantee confidentiality. The
complainant was very unwilling to report to the Gardaí and, in fact, never did.
He did not want to be the “cause of further bad publicity for the church”. He
did not make a civil claim either.
He did not report his complaint to the
hospital and the hospital was not told by the Archdiocese even though the
Archbishop is the Chairman of its Board of Directors.
24.45
The second complainant described how he was abused while a
patient in Crumlin Hospital. The abuse involved Fr Payne coming to his bed
375
late at night and fondling him while ostensibly checking to see if he was
comfortable. Monsignor Stenson interviewed the complainant and compiled a
comprehensive report. Monsignor Stenson then met Fr Payne who said he
did not remember the alleged incidents but “it‟s not impossible that there was
some contact which was misinterpreted”. Later, the second complainant was
told that Fr Payne did not deny the possibility that there was truth in the
allegation and that Fr Payne was going for therapy.
The complainant
accepted this as an apology. This was extraordinarily charitable of him since
it does not, in the Commission‟s view, constitute even a half hearted apology.
24.46
Also in July 1995, two boys from Sutton made statements to the
Gardaí alleging abuse by Fr Payne. The boys were altar boys and the abuse
involved fondling. It occurred in the sacristy. They did not complain to the
Archdiocese at this time.
The Gardaí conducted an investigation which
included interviewing other altar boys from the area. The local priests cooperated by providing lists of altar boys to the Gardaí.
The Archdiocese
heard about this investigation in August 1995.
24.47
In August 1995, the meeting of the Archbishop and auxiliary bishops
considered removing Fr Payne from the Marriage Tribunal.
In letters to
Archbishop Connell, Monsignor Sheehy argued strongly against this: “It would
be disastrous not only as a public act – which it would obviously be, and at
once portrayed to be – but, far worse, as an act which would very likely be the
final destruction of a good priest of this diocese”. In September, Fr Payne
resigned as Vice Officialis but seems to have remained working for the
Marriage Tribunal. From then until the end of the year there was extensive
media coverage of the case and of child sexual abuse generally; the
allegations of abuse in the diocese of Ferns were also being aired. The issue
of the loan to Fr Payne was widely covered in the media – see below. More
complainants came forward; most were from Crumlin and some were from
Sutton.
24.48
In September 1995, the father of a boy in Sutton complained to the
Archdiocese. The father questioned his son about Fr Payne after the father
had got inquiries from a journalist. The father questioned why the Church
authorities had not initiated some inquiries in the area. Also in September
another man who alleged that he had been abused while a child in Crumlin
376
hospital complained to the Archdiocese. His allegations were similar to those
of the second complainant and he did not want to go to the Gardaí either. He
did not complain to the hospital.
24.49
A priest who had served with Fr Payne in Sutton reported to
Monsignor Stenson that he had not been aware of the complaints against Fr
Payne while he was there. Now, in hindsight, Fr Payne‟s behaviour would
give him cause for concern.
He specifically mentioned a young foreign
student who used to stay with Fr Payne and that this particular friendship
gave rise to some critical comments at the time.
24.50
In October 1995, other former Crumlin patients came forward alleging
abuse by Fr Payne. One of these said he had told his parents about the
abuse at the time but was told not to be talking like that about a priest. His
mother was now very upset when he reminded her that she had been told
about it at the time.
24.51
The Secretary/Manager of Crumlin Hospital told Monsignor Stenson
that some nursing people had a problem with Fr Payne while he was there.
One complainant told the Commission that she complained to a
physiotherapist and a person whom she thinks was a nurse about the abuse
at the time.
24.52
Another complainant from Sutton complained that he had been
abused over a number of years by Fr Payne in Sutton and in a children‟s
holiday home. Fr Payne did not have an official appointment to this holiday
home but, according to this complainant, he used to take care of some boys
there. This complainant met Fr Payne in the holiday home and was abused
while there and also at Fr Payne‟s house in Sutton.
The abuse mainly
involved fondling and mutual masturbation. This complainant also alleged
that there was oral sex, digital penetration and attempted penile penetration.
24.53
Monsignor Sheehy continued to support Fr Payne‟s position in the
Marriage Tribunal and railed against Archbishop Connell‟s proposal that he
be removed: “[I] … could not but regard such a precipitate and so-called
„public opinion‟-motivated decision as a grave mistake, pregnant with the
possibility of even more grave injustice”. Monsignor Sheehy was very critical
377
of a trip to the USA undertaken by Monsignor Stenson and “some civil-law
associates”.
This was a trip undertaken in 1994 to find out more about how
the American bishops were dealing with cases of child sexual abuse.
24.54
Fr Payne resigned from the Marriage Tribunal in October following a
meeting with Bishop O‟Mahony. It was clear that he felt there was no choice
and he stipulated that his resignation was conditional on being given more
appropriate accommodation and an assigned place in which to say mass
daily.
24.55
Fr Payne became a beneficiary of the Diocesan Clerical Fund. He
was attending the Granada Institute and he continued to attend for the next
three years.
The Garda investigation was continuing.
Initially this was
mainly concentrated on Sutton as the first complaints to the Gardaí came
from there. The Archdiocese held a public meeting in Sutton to reassure the
parishioners there.
24.56
Another Crumlin patient made a complaint followed soon afterwards
by a Cabra complainant
It is clear from the various statements made to the
Gardaí by children abused in Crumlin that other children may also have been
abused in their presence.
24.57
In November 1995, another person from Crumlin complained to the
Archdiocese. Unlike all the other Crumlin complainants to date, he had not
been a patient in Crumlin hospital but was an altar boy there and lived locally.
He told Monsignor Stenson that it was “common knowledge” what Fr Payne
was doing.
In December, another former Crumlin hospital patient
complained.
24.58
Monsignor Sheehy continued to argue against the way the Archbishop
was handling the allegations. Monsignor Sheehy‟s main concerns were:
The public naming of priests against whom allegations had been
made – he cited Fr Francis McCarthy (see Chapter 41) – when no
formal charges had been made either in the ecclesiastical or the civil
forum nor had there been any serious inquiry made in the
ecclesiastical forum.
378
The priest could take an action for defamation against the Church
authorities.
The public impression was that the bishops were being media driven.
There was a growing impression that the church had no means of
dealing with these problems and that the problem could only be
handled by the state. This impression had been “fuelled by some
episcopal statements and actions”. He cited canons 204, 747, 794.1,
and 1254.1 as showing that the canon law recognises the separation
of Church and state. The Church should concern itself solely with
applying its own law and it was up to the state to act in accordance
with its laws. He questioned whether the state was doing that when it,
in the case of Fr Payne, was “trawling” the homes of altar boys in the
parish.
24.59
Archbishop Connell replied to Monsignor Sheehy:
“I am afraid that the „growing impression that the Church has itself no
means of dealing seriously with a problem such as the current one‟ is
not half so acute as the widespread belief that the means hitherto
employed by the Church have failed to deal with the problems. … It is
clear to me, for example, that if the recently published allegation
against Father Payne is true, the ground upon which I and others have
been standing in supporting him – at so terrible a cost – will have
completely collapsed”.
More complaints and prosecution, 1996 - 1997
24.60
Fr Payne was questioned by the Gardaí in February 1996. Another
former Crumlin hospital patient complained to the Gardaí. In his statement to
the Gardaí he said that he told the nurses that he did not want Fr Payne
coming near him but they had paid no attention to him.
Fr Payne was later
convicted in relation to the abuse of this complainant.
24.61
It is clear that there was no serious monitoring of Fr Payne‟s
whereabouts at this time. In February 1996, he was seen in Northern Ireland
with “two lads”; when asked, Fr Payne said they were two Austrians and one
was a girl – nothing further was done even though concerns had already been
expressed about his relationship with an Austrian.
379
24.62
Archbishop Connell seems to have held the view that Bishop
O‟Mahony was responsible for monitoring Fr Payne but it is not clear that this
responsibility was ever explicitly given to Bishop O‟Mahony.
Bishop
O‟Mahony resigned as an auxiliary bishop in 1996; he was ill for much of the
period 1996 – 1998 and was abroad for treatment for some of this time.
24.63
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that, to the best of his
recollection, he did not meet Fr Payne until he visited him in prison. There is
evidence of an appointment with Fr Payne in the Archbishop‟s diary for 1996;
the Cardinal accepts that that meeting took place but he has no recollection of
it.
24.64
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that he did not know what was
being done about Fr Payne in the period 1996 – 98: “it was a matter for the
Chancellery”. It is quite clear that it was not a matter for the chancellor as the
chancellor has no powers to reprimand or sanction a priest. Cardinal Connell
also said that he was not aware of the ongoing arrangements for Fr Payne‟s
financial support during this period.
24.65
Fr Payne was attending Granada and Bishop O‟Mahony was “very
good to him”. Another former Crumlin hospital patient complained in early
1997.
24.66
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided to prosecute in
respect of some of the complaints. There was no prosecution in respect of
several of the cases from Crumlin because the complainants were unable to
provide a clear description of Fr Payne.
24.67
In March 1997, Fr Payne was charged with 13 counts of indecent
assault on nine of the complainants. Later he was charged with 29 counts of
indecent assault on Andrew Madden.
There were a number of court
appearances during 1997. His support priest accompanied him to court. He
was continuing to attend the Granada Institute. Monsignor Dolan (who was
now the chancellor) and Fr Payne‟s support priest attended meetings with
Granada. In October 1997, Monsignor Dolan had intended raising the issue
of the formal removal of faculties from Fr Payne but did not do so when he
was told of Fr Payne‟s non-involvement in pastoral ministry.
380
24.68
As part of their ongoing inquiries, the Gardaí made various attempts to
interview Bishop O‟Mahony during 1997.
Bishop O‟Mahony issued a
statement in 1998 saying that the Gardaí had tried to contact him in 1997 but
that he was unavailable due to convalescence in the USA.
Conviction and imprisonment, 1998
24.69
Fr Payne pleaded guilty in January 1998 to charges of indecent
assault on ten victims and was sentenced in June 1998 to six years‟
imprisonment. He remained in prison until October 2002. He was visited in
prison by Archbishop Connell in 2000 and 2002. The Commission considers
that this is to Archbishop Connell‟s credit. He was visited regularly by his
support priest who also brought his (Fr Payne‟s) mother to visit him in prison.
24.70
Archbishop Connell wrote a kind letter to Fr Payne‟s mother
immediately after he was convicted. Fr Payne wrote to the Archbishop just
before his sentencing expressing his regret and sorrow for the suffering the
Archbishop had endured following the revelation of his abusive behaviour and
to thank him for his support.
24.71
In February 1998, one complainant complained that he never received
an apology despite the fact that it had been more than two years since he had
met Monsignor Stenson and reported the abuse.
He is one of the
complainants who did not complain to Gardaí and did not make a civil claim.
There does not appear to have been much follow up for this particular
complainant. Another complainant complained that there had been no follow
up from the diocese.
In June 1998, the Archdiocese agreed to pay for
therapy for one complainant. The policy was to pay for therapy for six months
and then review the situation.
Therapy was subsequently provided for a
number of the complainants who sought it. Compensation was agreed with
those who sought it.
Laicisation
24.72
In 2001, the Archdiocese asked Fr Payne to apply for laicisation. Fr
Payne was shocked but eventually agreed. He was laicised in 2002. When
he was released from prison, he went to live in the inner city. Some limited
arrangements were made for his supervision while there but the local clergy
381
do not seem to have been informed that he was living among them. He was
visited by his therapist, his support priest and Monsignor Dolan. Monsignor
Dolan told the Commission that he liaised with the Gardaí about the suitability
of the accommodation. Fr Payne‟s whereabouts became known and there
was a campaign to remove him. He moved to the UK in 2003. He has since
moved a few times. At present, the Commission understands that he lives
outside Ireland, but he has a convenience address in Ireland.
24.73
After his release from prison he was supported by the Clerical Fund
Society.
His entitlement to this support ceased on laicisation.
The
Archdiocese decided that, in view of his low employment prospects and his
risk of becoming destitute, he should be supported at least until he qualified
for the State Pension in 2009. This support was provided from the Poor of
Dublin Fund (see Chapter 8) for the period until June 2007.
He is now
supported from the Curial Trust and money paid from the Poor of Dublin Fund
has been reimbursed from the Curial Trust.
24.74
More allegations continued to emerge up to 2008.
The loan
24.75
The Archdiocese issued a statement about the loan to Fr Payne in
1995. In this, Archbishop Connell said that he had been approached by Fr
Payne about a loan. It appears from other evidence that Archbishop Connell
instructed the diocesan solicitors to offer Fr Payne a loan.
Archbishop
Connell said that he was motivated by a desire to see Andrew Madden
“recompensed without undue delay” and that Fr Payne was functioning “more
than satisfactorily” in his ministry and there was nothing to suggest that
children were at risk.
24.76
In May 1995 Archbishop Connell said on RTE television: “I have
compensated nobody. I have paid out nothing whatever in compensation. It
is my policy that if a priest is guilty and he wishes to make an out-of-court
settlement that is his responsibility. The diocese does not pay for that”.
24.77
Cardinal Connell told the Commission that Mr Madden was entitled to
compensation as Fr Payne had admitted the abuse. His decision to lend
money to Fr Payne to pay the compensation was also based on his pastoral
382
concern for Fr Payne as a man who it seemed, on the evidence available to
him, “had reformed and would be able to live his life free of all that concern”.
24.78
The loan was given from money in the Curial Trust. In evidence to the
Commission, Cardinal Connell said that he did not know if he was a trustee of
the fund: “I would have left all that kind of thing to the Finance Secretariat”.
Fr Payne repaid £5,000 in 1994.
There is documentary evidence that
Archbishop Connell personally paid £3,000 off the loan but he had no
recollection of that when giving evidence to the Commission.
Clearly, Fr
Payne considered that the Archbishop had given a personal loan as he tried
to repay £1,500 of this in September 1996. This was treated as a repayment
of part of the diocesan loan. During 1996 and 1997, Fr Payne made further
repayments.
Fr Payne had no income while he was in prison so no further
repayments were made. The outstanding loan to Fr Payne – approximately
€14,000 – was written off in the accounts in 2004 when Mr Payne, as he then
was, was receiving only a charitable donation from the Archdiocese.
The Commission’s assessment
The Archdiocese
24.79
The initial complaint against Fr Payne was handled very badly and, as
a result of the failure to deal with it properly, many other children were abused
or potentially exposed to abuse. Archbishop Ryan and Bishop O‟Mahony
were particularly culpable. Archbishop Ryan did not properly address the
complaint at all. He left it to Bishop O‟Mahony but did not specify what was to
be done. Bishop O‟Mahony sent Fr Payne for psychiatric assessment but did
not brief the psychiatrist properly. He then received a report from which it is
clear that the psychiatrist was under a misapprehension about the age of the
victim when the abuse occurred and he did nothing to rectify that
misapprehension.
He reported to Archbishop Ryan that there was a
favourable assessment. Archbishop Ryan did not even read the report; if he
had, he might have discovered its complete uselessness as it was based on
erroneous information. Nobody contacted the victim or made any attempt to
find out about the other boy mentioned by the victim. When they eventually
met, Andrew Madden thought that Bishop O‟Mahony was sympathetic and
generally a nice man but was very clear that the bishop was not really
addressing the issue of the safety of children.
383
24.80
When Archbishop Connell first became aware of the problem, he did
not inform himself properly. He took a very hands off approach to this case.
The Archbishop seems to have met Fr Payne only once before Fr Payne went
to prison. He regarded Bishop O‟Mahony as being in charge even though
Bishop O‟Mahony was retired, abroad and ill for some of the relevant time.
He nevertheless was financially kind to Fr Payne and visited him in prison.
He was also kind to Fr Payne‟s mother.
Cardinal Connell disputes the
assessment that he took a hands off approach.
He points out that he
declined to promote Fr Payne in 1991, that he sent him to the USA for an
assessment in 1994 and, as a result of that assessment, he removed him
from Sutton parish. He argues that he was poorly advised in that he relied on
Bishop O‟Mahony‟s report of Professor Walsh‟s assessment and on the report
from the USA therapeutic facility which incorrectly concluded that Fr Payne
had not offended since his abuse of Andrew Madden. The Commission notes
that Fr Payne was not removed from Sutton for six months after the USA
report. The USA report also recommended residential treatment and this was
not implemented.
The Commission agrees that Archbishop Connell was
poorly advised but, ultimately, as Archbishop, he had responsibility for the
appointment and removal of priests and so should have been more directly
involved.
24.81
Monsignor Sheehy was not directly involved in handling this case but
he was an influential background figure. He believed in Fr Payne‟s innocence
even when it became abundantly clear that there was no basis for such a
belief. He took the view that handing over a priest to the civil authorities for
investigation was wrong and was contrary to canon law. The Archdiocese did
not “hand over” Fr Payne for investigation by the civil authorities. A complaint
was made to the Gardaí and they investigated it as they are required to do.
Monsignor Sheehy wrote eloquently on the subject of the rights of priests
without ever managing to refer to, or consider, the rights of children. He
acted in an entirely irresponsible manner in arranging supply work for Fr
Payne when Archbishop Connell had effectively, but not formally, removed
him from ministry.
384
State authorities
24.82
Neither the health board nor the Gardaí was informed of the first
complaint at the time. The Gardaí first received a complaint about Fr Payne
in 1995 and dealt appropriately with this and subsequent complaints.
24.83
The health board does not seem to have been formally notified of
complaints about Fr Payne at any stage. However, his name was in the
public domain from 1994 onwards. It was notified of the fact that he was
being released from prison in 2002.
385
Chapter 25
Fr Donato*86
Introduction
25.1
In July 1995, the Gardaí received a complaint from a young woman
who claimed that she had been sexually abused by Fr Donato in the early
1980s when she was a school-girl. She claimed she had been seeing him for
some time in relation to some personal problems. On a particular day, he
asked her to come and sit on his lap. She claimed he spread her legs apart
and then he slowly put one leg over the arm of the chair. She said he put his
hand up her skirt and into her pants and, while he was doing this, he asked
her had anyone else done it to her.
25.2
She said she went to see the parish priest that same day in the early
1980s. She claimed that he told her it was her own fault; that she should not
dress the way she did and she should not say things about Fr Donato who
was one of his best friends.
25.3
The young girl reported the matter to her teacher.
The school
principal was informed. The principal spoke to the girl‟s mother.
25.4
The parents of the young girl went to see the parish priest who told
them that Fr Donato was a very affectionate young man. He said he had
spoken to him and that he had felt that something had happened. He had
warned Fr Donato to stay away from the young girl and assured the parents
that it would never happen again. There is no evidence that the parish priest
ever reported the matter to the archdiocesan authorities.
25.5
When the complaint was made to them in 1995, the Gardaí
interviewed a number of the young girl‟s friends, her brother and Fr Donato
himself in October 1995.
Fr Donato recalled embracing her on the last day
they had met in order to comfort her but he stated that there was no sexual
element to it. He said that any touching that occurred “was done through
emotion and care for her and was not of a sexual nature”. He told Gardaí he
did recall the parish priest receiving a complaint.
86
This is a pseudonym.
386
25.6
The case did not result in a prosecution as the DPP considered there
was insufficient evidence.
Priest’s background
25.7
Fr Donato was born in 1940 and ordained in 1970 for a foreign
diocese. He initially worked in that diocese but, according to his local bishop,
he got into difficulty with gambling debts and the bishop advised him to return
to Ireland. In 1977, Archbishop Ryan considered his request for a pastoral
appointment in Dublin and gave him an appointment in January 1978. Fr
Donato‟s gambling difficulties were disclosed to Archbishop Ryan by his
previous bishop. In 1981 he was formally incardinated (see Chapter 3) into
the Archdiocese of Dublin. The committee which advised the Archbishop on
matters of incardination had no reservation about his incardination.
25.8
In 1983 he was appointed to a new parish. It was during his period in
this parish that the alleged indecent assault of the young schoolgirl occurred.
He was subsequently appointed to other positions in the Archdiocese.
25.9
As already stated, a complaint had been made to the parish priest in
1984 but he did not inform the Archdiocesan authorities. The Archdiocese
became aware of this complaint when the Gardaí told Monsignor Stenson
about it in December 1995.
Adult complainant
25.10
The Archdiocese was, however, aware of a different complaint about
Fr Donato in October 1992. This did not involve child sexual abuse. The
mother of a 20 year old woman complained that her daughter was the victim
of very unwelcome attentions from Fr Donato. She threatened to go to the
media if nothing was done about him. With great haste a full investigation
had been set in motion by the end of October. Canon Ardle McMahon was
put in charge of the investigation. By early December, Canon McMahon had
concluded his investigation stating that:
Both the priest and the young woman in question denied any sexual
irregularity.
The relationship had lasted less than three months.
The priest admitted some errors in judgment.
387
The situation called for an expeditious solution: the report did not
suggest what should be done.
Even though this was not a case of child sexual abuse, the young woman and
her mother were adamant that Fr Donato should be removed. They reported
the matter to the Gardaí who investigated whether an offence had been
committed. No prosecution ensued.
25.11
Other problems, apart from the complaint of sexual harassment, arose
about Fr Donato‟s ministry. Archbishop Connell met Fr Donato in June 1994
and suggested a sabbatical. In August 1994, he approved a year‟s sabbatical
for him.
This was to be spent attending a third level course. By the end of
1994 it was clear that Fr Donato was not actually attending the course.
25.12
In May 1995, Fr Donato stated that he wished to be released from
ministerial priesthood. At the end of June, Archbishop Connell released him
from ministry.
This occurred 14 days before the young woman who had
made the 1984 complaint went to the Gardaí. The request to be laicised from
the priesthood was left in abeyance until August 1998 when Monsignor Dolan
wrote to Fr Donato asking whether he still wished to be laicised.
At this
stage the Archdiocese had had little or no contact with Fr Donato for over
three years. In September 1998, as no response had been received from
him, Archbishop Connell withdrew his faculties.
In December 1998, Fr
Donato wrote to Archbishop Connell and told him that he was married;
however, he did not wish to be laicised.
25.13
On further investigation, it transpired that Fr Donato had commenced
a long-term relationship with a woman in or around 1977, the year he was first
appointed to a position in Dublin, and they had had a daughter in 1979. They
subsequently married in or around 1997.
The Archdiocese had not been
aware of this relationship.
The Commission’s assessment
25.14
The only complaint of child sexual abuse of which the Archdiocese
became aware was the one involving the school girl who complained to the
parish priest in 1984 and to the Gardaí in 1995. The parish priest was remiss
in not reporting the matter to the Archdiocese.
388
25.15
It would appear that for the entire time this priest was working in the
Archdiocese of Dublin, he had a relationship with a woman who bore him a
child in 1979 yet the Archdiocese seems to have been totally unaware of this.
Although he explained in a letter to Archbishop Connell in December 1998
that he was now married, it appears that he was not laicised until 2007.
25.16
No one in the Archdiocese knew anything about him for the years
between 1995 and 1998 or tried to find out where he was, even though he
was still a priest of the diocese and one against whom a complaint of child
sexual abuse had been made.
25.17
The Gardaí carried out the investigations appropriately.
389
Chapter 26
Fr Harry Moore
Introduction
26.1
In March 1982, Archbishop Ryan received the following letter:
“At 4am approx. on Sat., February 27th 1982, I was indecently assaulted
by Fr. H. Moore C.C. of St. Josephs parish, Glasthule Co. Dublin.
Inquiries subsequently conducted by me lead me to believe that this was
by no means an isolated incident.
I therefore earnestly request that appropriate action be taken without
delay”.
26.2
The sender of this letter identified himself and his address. However,
he did not give his age but he is likely to have been in his late teens. The
response of Archbishop Ryan was as follows: “In view of the fact that your
letter of the 8th March was marked “Private and Confidential”, there is little I
could do about the matter. If, however, you wish to discuss the matter further,
I would ask that you get in touch with Monsignor Jerome Curtin, who is a
Vicar General of the Diocese”.
Priest’s history
26.3
At the time of this complaint Fr Harry Moore was a curate in Glasthule
parish and the alleged assault was said to have taken place in the presbytery.
Fr Moore was born in 1936 and was ordained in 1960. His first appointment
was as chaplain to Artane Industrial School from 1960 - 1967. During his
time there he compiled a report at the request of Archbishop McQuaid on the
conditions under which the boys lived in Artane. This report was handed over
by the current Archbishop of Dublin to the Commission to Inquire into Child
Abuse.87
26.4
His next appointment after Artane was as a curate in Ringsend parish
until 1975. He was then sent to Kilquade parish for one year. He asked to be
87
The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was established under the Commission to
Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000 to investigate abuse in residential institutions for children.
It issued its report in May 2009.
390
reassigned because of loneliness and he was given a position as assistant
priest in a Catholic youth organisation.
26.5
During this period Fr Moore developed a serious alcohol abuse
problem and was admitted to St John of God Hospital in 1977.
A
comprehensive medical report from this hospital was provided to Archbishop
Ryan in March 1977.
This report stated that Fr Moore was admitted
“ostensibly because he had a problem with alcohol” which he said started
about three years earlier and had progressively become worse over the
years.
26.6
The report stated that Fr Moore had begun to drink heavily in his early
curacy and was consequently sent to a parish in Wicklow for six months
where, owing to maladjustment, he was removed to the Catholic youth
organisation for another six month stint. This in turn was followed by a year‟s
sabbatical to study theology. By this time, the report noted, he had had two
hospital stays for alcohol addiction.
26.7
He underwent various psychiatric and personality tests while in the
hospital. The doctor noted that he had real concerns about Fr Moore‟s sexual
functioning as he had “difficulty in satisfying his strong affectionate needs
because of his inability to establish mature adult relationships”.
His was
described as a personality with “a very strong element of psychopathy and
hysteria”.
He recommended Fr Moore for team-based occupations if
supervised correctly, but he did not recommend him for parish work.
26.8
Despite this medical report, Archbishop Ryan returned Fr Moore to
active parish ministry, appointing him a curate in Edenmore parish in
November 1977.
26.9
Over the next two years he is recorded as receiving treatment for
alcohol dependency. Despite leaving one of the facilities without completing
his therapy, he was appointed a curate in Glasthule in February 1980. It is
while he was assigned to Glasthule that the complaint of indecent assault
noted above was conveyed to the Archdiocese (in March 1982).
26.10
In August 1982, it was suggested to Archbishop Ryan, by his auxiliary
bishop, Bishop Comiskey, that Fr Moore needed treatment in Stroud. Fr
391
Moore himself reacted negatively to that proposition. Within hours of having
been informed of this proposal he was reported as having been discovered
drunk and “with some young lay men”.
He had to be admitted to hospital
suffering from an ulcer.
Treatment
26.11
In September 1982, Fr Moore was sent to a therapeutic facility in the
UK (not Stroud). Archbishop Ryan wrote to the administrator outlining Fr
Moore‟s situation. He explained that various attempts had been made to
rehabilitate him but all had failed. He stated that in addition to his alcoholism
“there is some evidence of sexual indiscretions during Fr Moore‟s drinking
bouts but it has been rather difficult to collect evidence concerning the nature
and extent of these activities”.
26.12
Of particular significance is the fact that Archbishop Ryan does not
appear to have sent the report from the St John of God‟s doctor although he
did send a confidential letter from a friend of Fr Moore.
26.13
Fr Moore was relieved of his curacy in Glasthule due to ill health. He
remained at the UK facility until March 1983. The final report from the facility
said that Fr Moore had explored his use of alcohol “as a means of covering
his confused sexual identity, his way of evading responsibility…”. Further
therapy was advised.
26.14
In June 1983 Fr Moore was appointed curate in Bayside parish. It was
while he was there that he committed a number of very serious sexual
assaults, including buggery, on a young teenager. Complaints in relation to
these assaults were not received by the Archdiocese until 1999. The
Archdiocese was, however, aware of his escalating alcohol problem while in
Bayside. In 1985 he had become unmanageable because of his alcoholism
and the parish priest had asked for him to be removed.
He was then
appointed to Francis Street but relapsed again.
26.15
Despite the 1982 complaint from Glasthule and his prior history, Fr
Moore was appointed chaplain to a secondary school for boys in October
1986. He also had an appointment in Cabinteely parish. He complained in
1992 about the lack of an official appointment to the secondary school. It was
392
noted in September 1993 that he was angry, upset and annoyed at having to
attend a psychologist for assessment. It was noted by the psychologist, Dr
Patrick Walsh, that “he is relieved to have given up his position as chaplain to
the school but that he is happy to continue his work of giving school retreats”.
In a submission to the Commission, Fr Moore said that he did not give school
retreats but gave parish retreats.
Adverse reports. 1993 and 1995
26.16
In 1993 and again in 1995 there were adverse reports about Fr
Moore‟s behaviour with young adults.
There was an allegation of sexual
assault. He was allegedly supplying young people with alcohol and hash and
allowing them to watch blue movies in his home. There were also complaints
of a very unsuitable phrase used in a school homily. The person who made
the majority of those complaints stated in 2002 that she felt alienated by
diocesan officials who did not “listen or didn‟t hear how serious [it] was”.
There was confusion as to whether the 1993 complaint was formally noted at
the time.
26.17
In December 1994, Monsignor Dolan conducted a preliminary review
of Fr Moore‟s file in order to assess his suitability for an appointment. He
noted that the file contained no reference to the fact that Fr Moore had been
chaplain at Artane Industrial School from 1960 to 1967. Monsignor Dolan
concluded in his report that “the period 1983 - 89 remains tricky if there was
no investigation of the allegation and H. M. had an open-ended unmonitored
appointment. This should be reviewed immediately”. The allegation referred
to is the Glasthule allegation.
26.18
In January 1995 Archbishop Connell, finding that circumstances
satisfying the requisite “semblance of truth” requirement existed, started a
canon law penal process. He appointed Monsignor Alex Stenson as delegate
to investigate “both the allegation and the priest‟s imputability”.
It is unclear
from the documents what allegation was being investigated at the time.
Subsequently, it transpired that this process was not proceeded with.
26.19
In January 1995 Fr Moore‟s situation was discussed by Bishop Murray
and the Archbishop. Bishop Murray noted that Fr Moore was looking for a
parish and that “we need to give thought to his future”.
393
In March 1995, Dr
Patrick Walsh was approached for a further assessment of Fr Moore, after he
had been reported to have made inappropriate remarks to parents at a school
function.
26.20
Dr Walsh informed Monsignor Stenson that Fr Moore “shows every
sign of gravitating towards young people, especially males, as objects of
affection”. He also warned the authorities to be vigilant in their supervision of
him and stated “unless he was prepared to engage over a long period of time
with a therapeutic programme and with a system of supervision and regular
reviews, I believe there are considerable risks of a return to alcohol abuse or
to inappropriate behaviour, particularly towards young people”.
26.21
In May 1995, at a meeting in Archbishop‟s House attended by the
auxiliary bishops, the conclusion was reached that the only alternatives left to
the Archbishop were:
a) the complete removal of Fr Moore from ministry for life;
b) that the Archbishop receive a report that would enable him to give Fr
Moore an appointment.
26.22
In the end, Archbishop Connell terminated Fr Moore‟s tenure in
Cabinteely and released him from all priestly duties.
Fr Moore was still
attending Dr Walsh at this stage and was recorded as making progress.
26.23
In October 1995, Dr Walsh wrote to Archbishop Connell stating that
the medical professionals were more optimistic of a meaningful recovery. He
said: “as long as he remains sober, he will not, I believe, act out” and added
that Fr Moore was adamant that “he has never sexually abused children or
adolescents”. In light of his known history, Fr Moore‟s assertion should have
been troubling to the Archdiocese.
26.24
Fr Moore expressed worry about the newly stated policy of the
bishops of reporting all cases of child sexual abuse whether current or past.
In November 1995, the Archdiocese did report the Glasthule incident to the
Gardaí. When contacted by the Gardaí, the complainant did not want to
make a formal complaint at that particular time but the matter was left open.
Somewhat late in the day, in 2002, the suspicions that arose in 1993 and
1995 were notified to the Gardaí.
394
26.25
Fr Moore was very annoyed about the reporting to the Gardaí and
claimed that his recovery had been sabotaged and retarded by the disclosure.
Monsignor Curtin, who had spoken to Fr Moore at the time of the Glasthule
complaint and again in May 1995 about the 1995 adverse reports, was also
annoyed about the matter, condemning what he saw as “a grave violation of
justice and charity”.
In February 1996, there was some discussion about
whether Fr Moore might have some sort of informal chaplaincy with the
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group, with which he was already involved.
The advisory panel
26.26
In April 1996, the file was passed to the recently established advisory
panel who noted that the file is “light on certain important facts, particularly
the ages of the young people involved”. The panel expressed reservations on
the proposed appointment of Fr Moore as chaplain to the AA until there was a
comprehensive assessment and treatment programme establishing whether
there existed “significant danger of inappropriate behaviour occurring other
than in an alcohol related situation”.
26.27
Fr Moore decided not to be further assessed and to retire on health
grounds. He retained his clerical faculties. He was allowed to say mass and
hear confessions whenever there was a need, for example, if a priest was
sick or on holidays. In April 1997, he signed the following document but it
was noted that he expressed “unhappiness in relation to the need for signing
the document” and “unhappiness about the manner of the process”.
The
document reads as follows:
“DUBLIN DIOCESAN CURIA
I, Father Harry Moore, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, now
retiring on grounds of health from holding any priestly office in the said
Archdiocese, hereby declare in reference to my diocesan faculties
which I continue to enjoy:
1. I will confine the exercise of my sacramental ministry within
Churches and Oratories;
395
2. I will not be available for any ministry outside of the above except
for the administration of the sacraments of penance and the anointing
of sick in situations of grave need.
I further declare:
1. I will attend for review meetings with Doctor Walsh on a basis to be
agreed with him;
2. I will maintain contact on a regular basis with Monsignor Jerome
Curtin and [another named priest]
3. I will maintain my regular involvement with A.A.;
4. To avoid even the suspicion of any possible impropriety, I shall
avoid being alone with any person under 18 years of age.”
This document is signed by Monsignor John Dolan as a witness and Fr
Moore, and is dated 29 April 1997.
1998
26.28
In 1998, following a visit to Medjugorje, Fr Moore attempted to book a
catholic youth hall for a weekend retreat for a number of adults and young
persons whom he had met on that trip. The diocese instructed the youth
organisation not to give him the hall. It was pointed out to Fr Moore that this
activity was in breach of his contract with the diocese.
Bayside complaint, 1999
26.29
In February 1999, a man complained to the Gardaí that, while he was
a teenager, he had been sexually abused by Fr Moore while Fr Moore was
attached to Bayside parish between 1983 and 1985. The complainant had
also complained to a bishop in the UK about this abuse. The UK bishop
contacted Archbishop Connell. The complainant travelled to Dublin in March
1999 to make a formal statement to the Gardaí. He told how he and a group
of his friends used to drink with Fr Moore. On one occasion he poured out his
soul to the priest because he had problems at school and at home. The
priest brought him to his own house and plied him with several kinds of drink.
He woke from a semi-conscious state to find Fr Moore performing oral sex on
him. He alleged that there was anal and oral sex frequently at Fr Moore‟s
house during 1983 and 1984.
396
26.30
When interviewed by the Gardaí, Fr Moore admitted that they had oral
and anal sex but said that it was consensual and that it had occurred on only
two occasions.
26.31
In September 1999, the 1997 declaration (see above) was amended
and he agreed not to “exercise any public sacramental ministry within
churches and oratories”.
Criminal charges, 2000
26.32
In 2000, Fr Moore was charged with 18 counts of sexual assault
including buggery in respect of the Bayside victim.
He sought a judicial
review on the grounds of delay and was unsuccessful.
26.33
The charges were reduced to four and in July 2004, Fr Moore pleaded
guilty to two charges of indecent assault and two charges of buggery while a
curate in Bayside. Sentencing eventually took place in May 2005 and on that
date he was sentenced to seven years in respect of each of the buggery
charges and three years in respect of each of the sexual assault charges.
These sentences were suspended for a period of ten years and he was put
under the supervision of the probation services.
He was also ordered to
abide by the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. This is generally
described as „being placed on the sex offenders‟ register‟ – see Appendix 2.
26.34
While awaiting trial it was reported to Bishop Murray (who was no
longer an auxiliary bishop of Dublin) in 2002 that Fr Moore had resumed
giving school retreats.
Fr Moore told the Commission that this was untrue.
Bishop Murray informed the Archdiocese of this report.
26.35
In 2004, the Archdiocese notified the health board about the
complaints. Social workers from the area where Fr Moore lived met him to
discuss the advisability of refraining from contact with children.
This
information was not produced in the initial HSE discovery (see Chapter 6) and
was brought to the Commission‟s attention only after the HSE received the
draft of this chapter.
397
The Commission’s assessment
Church authorities
26.36
The reaction of Archbishop Ryan to the 1982 complaint was totally
inadequate. The Archbishop had a comprehensive psychiatric report detailing
Fr Moore‟s problems with alcohol and with his sexuality.
Given that the
Archbishop had already ignored the advice of the psychiatrist (in 1977) about
not locating Fr Moore in a parish setting, the Archbishop‟s response to the
1982 complaint was inexcusable.
26.37
Here was a priest whom he knew, from the 1977 psychiatric report,
had many problems. There was a complete failure on his part to
comprehensively investigate a complaint of actual sexual abuse and possible
other incidents of sexual abuse as reported in the letter. His excuse, that
there was little he could do since the letter was marked private and
confidential, is deemed by the Commission to be unacceptable.
Had he
acted appropriately in relation to this complaint, it might have prevented the
very serious assaults that took place some years later on a teenager for
which Fr Moore was convicted.
26.38
The Archbishop did not forward the 1977 psychiatrist‟s report to the
UK therapeutic facility in May 1982, when he sent Fr Moore for treatment
there.
He did however tell that facility that there had been sexual
indiscretions during Fr Moore‟s drinking bouts. He also gave permission to
that facility, subject to Fr Moore‟s consent, to contact St John of God Hospital
directly.
26.39
One of the features of the handling of this case was the number of
different doctors to whom Fr Moore was sent. There was a failure to
coordinate their efforts, diagnoses and recommendations until very late in the
day.
26.40
The Commission‟s view is that it was unacceptable for the
Archdiocese to leave Fr Moore unmonitored for a period of six years in the
1980s.
26.41
There was good communication between the UK bishop (to whose
diocese the Bayside complaint was initially made) and the Archdiocese. The
398
English bishop notified the Archdiocese. Archbishop Connell replied promptly
that he was nominating Monsignor Dolan to deal with it. The UK bishop met
the complainant and told him this. He also notified the Archdiocese that he
had done so and told them that the complainant had gone to the police in the
UK with his complaint.
Gardaí
26.42
The Gardaí handled the case appropriately and their efforts resulted in
a successful prosecution.
399
Chapter 27
Fr Septimus*88
Introduction
27.1
Fr Septimus was ordained in the 1950s. He served in a number of
parishes of the Archdiocese and ultimately became a parish priest. In 1997,
Archbishop Connell imposed a canonical precept placing certain restrictions
on his contact with children and imposing other conditions.
His active
ministry effectively ended in 2002 when he was forced to step down as a
parish priest by Archbishop Connell. He has not resumed ministry since then.
27.2
The Commission is aware of 17 complaints of child abuse in relation to
Fr Septimus. The nature of the abuse alleged against him predominantly
involved the administration of severe beatings to boys on their bare buttocks,
sometimes using a strap or other implement. Following the beatings, the
boys would then be forced to stand facing away from Fr Septimus in a state of
undress. Sometimes the beatings resumed. There was one allegation of Fr
Septimus masturbating following a beating while the beaten boy was in the
room and facing away from him.
The Commission is satisfied from the
evidence considered that the beatings were for the sexual gratification of Fr
Septimus and that the abuse constituted child sexual abuse.
First complaints, 1982
27.3
The first recorded allegations to the Archdiocese against Fr Septimus
were made in October 1982.
A woman contacted Bishop O‟Mahony and
reported on behalf of three named people. One was a witness to the beating
of altar boys “with their pants down”. Another was a mother whose son was
made to remove his underwear for misbehaving and the third was a mother
whose son was refusing to serve mass because he did not want the priest
“putting his hands up my pants anymore”. In 1983, she reported, on behalf of
a mother, about a further incident of a boy being beaten with his pants down.
There is no evidence that Bishop O‟Mahony spoke to the named people or
made any further inquiries.
He did not report the complaints to Archbishop
Ryan.
88
This is a pseudonym.
400
27.4
In February 1983, Fr Septimus was admitted to St John of God
hospital in a state of “acute anxiety and depression” which, according to the
psychiatrist who treated him there, had been brought on by an allegation that
he had assaulted a boy.
It seems that this had occurred while on a camp
and was not related to the allegations made by the woman to Bishop
O‟Mahony.
This psychiatrist had treated him 20 years earlier when Fr
Septimus had had a breakdown “brought about through intense psychological
stress”. In March 1983, Bishop O‟Mahony recorded a discussion between
himself and the psychiatrist as follows:
“The priest has made a very good recovery and has come to terms
with his sexuality. Homosexuality is covert rather than overt. The
beatings are a moderated manifestation of the tendency. He should be
able to minister without too much difficulty. “It is not a very serious
problem”. He should avoid boys‟ clubs/camps etc.
No change is
recommended provided there is no scandal”.
27.5
All the discussions between Bishop O‟Mahony and the psychiatrist in
1983 are not recorded.
However, in a report in 1995, the psychiatrist
indicated that he had discussed the matter with Bishop O‟Mahony at the time
and had “agreed that it would be best to leave him in the parish but to ensure
that he did not continue to work with young boys”.
27.6
At this stage, Bishop O‟Mahony seems to have made further inquiries
about the complaints. There is no evidence that he spoke to the people who
had been named by the woman who had approached him. He did speak to
the principal of the local school and another person associated with the
school.
There is no obvious connection between these people and the
complaints. They were dismissive of the woman and said she had made a
similar complaint against a former principal.
Bishop O‟Mahony decided that
“the entire matter would be dropped”.
Complaints reconsidered, 1995
27.7
Fr Septimus was appointed a parish priest in the early 1990s and
there seems to have been no consideration of the complaints against him at
the time of his appointment. In 1995, these issues were addressed again in
the context of a general review of all child abuse cases. In April 1995, Bishop
O‟Mahony made a note about the case. This note stated that the incidents
401
complained of by the woman had never taken place and “people then saw
through her and no longer tolerated her gossip”.
It also noted that the
complainant was reconciled with the priest and “she is now paying her dues.”
The note also stated that the incidents referred to by the psychiatrist took
place on a camp. Bishop O‟Mahony had advised Fr Septimus not to go on
further camps and he had not done so.
Bishop O‟Mahony, in an affidavit
provided to the Commission, said that the woman contacted him in April 1995
and “indicated that none of the incidents reported by her” had occurred.
Bishop O‟Mahony‟s April 1995 note does not mention that the woman was in
contact with him at that stage. His April 1995 note appears to deal only with
reports from other people.
27.8
Bishop O‟Mahony discussed the case with the Granada Institute and,
on the basis of that discussion, a report was issued in May 1995.
The
Granada report expressed the view that the woman‟s complaints on behalf of
others related to inappropriate punishment rather than sexual gratification and
that there were currently no grounds for believing that Fr Septimus was a
danger to others. Interestingly, the Granada Institute, unlike Bishop
O‟Mahony, seemed to accept that there was a basis for the woman‟s
complaints.
Granada recommended that the complainant not be contacted
as she might not welcome such an approach and this would place extra
stress on Fr Septimus.
Further complaints, 1995
27.9
In October 1995, a complaint was received by the Archdiocese from a
named woman on behalf of an unnamed woman who alleged that her son
had been a victim of buggery 21 years previously, in 1974.
Archbishop
Connell initiated a preliminary investigation under canon law and appointed
Monsignor Alex Stenson as the delegate to investigate. Shortly after that,
another complaint was received with an allegation of abuse 35 years
previously – in 1960.
Monsignor Stenson met this most recent complainant
and told him that he might have to report the matter to the Gardaí. The
complainant was accompanied by his sister who verified his account of what
had happened. The nature of the abuse alleged was similar to that reported
in the first complaints made in 1982, namely of being severely beaten while
undressed. The severity of the beating was so bad that the child had to stay
in bed for three weeks following the assault. He claimed that school mates
402
had suffered similar treatment.
The abuse happened in the school, after
school hours. Fr Septimus had a key to the school.
27.10
Monsignor Stenson met Fr Septimus in October 1995, as part of his
preliminary investigation. Monsignor Stenson made a detailed note of their
conversation and this was signed by the priest. Fr Septimus told Monsignor
Stenson that the account of the most recent complainant was “highly coloured
but basically true”.
He said that “I went into a coma for twelve days at the
time of the Cuban war … I thought the Atom Bomb had fallen”. It is not clear
if this refers to the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 or the Cuban missile crisis in
1962. He offered to pay for counselling “within reason”. He went on to say
that he was “rough with kids” during that period of his life but that he was now
“great with kids”. He went on to talk about the 1980s complaints and told
Monsignor Stenson that he could speak to Bishop O‟Mahony about that.
Monsignor Stenson‟s note further records Fr Septimus saying:
“On a few occasions there would have been similar outbursts in the
other appointments - always with young boys - never girls. I did get
them to take off some of their clothes and would hit them. I usually
used my hand. I would place them across my knees and smack them
on their naked behinds.
…
I did this as a form of punishment. It occasionally generated in me a
sexual movement. But I never touched them in the private parts nor
got them to touch me. Never - that‟s sexual abuse. Sometimes it
gave me sexual pleasure.
This pattern would have continued
elsewhere until I got treatment in St John of Gods. There might have
been four boys in each place up to and including [the parish he was in
when the 1980s complaints were made].
After my treatment it has never happened again. Some of those boys
were altar boys. A lot would happen on Summer Camps - if boys went
missing they got a warning and if it happened a second time they had
a choice - no pocket money or a spanking and they chose the
spanking… Bishop O‟ Mahony knows all about that…
[Fr Septimus] apologises for what happened to [the latest complainant]
and asked me to convey this…”
403
27.11
Later on, Fr Septimus denied that he had made any of the admissions
contained in this statement and alleged that his signature had been forged.
Later still, he said that he had signed a blank piece of paper and that the
statement was not shown to him or read to him. If either of these allegations
were true, one would have expected the priest to have taken vigorous action
against the Church authorities either in canon or civil law to vindicate his good
name and to ensure that the perpetrators of a most grievous wrong were
appropriately punished.
Despite some posturing, he did neither.
The
Commission has absolutely no doubt that the statement is accurate.
27.12
In November 1995, Monsignor Alex Stenson notified the Gardaí of the
most recent complaint (the one relating to the 1960 incident). Fr Septimus
was one of the priests named on the first list of priests given to the Gardaí in
November 1995 (see Chapter 5). Monsignor Stenson noted “The assault was
seen in terms of spanking.”
Medical opinion
27.13
Fr Septimus was referred to the psychiatrist who had treated him in
the 1980s. The psychiatrist told Monsignor Stenson that the priest would
appear to pose no risk as there had been no problems in the last 12 years.
He should, however, “maintain a low profile for the moment, not least for his
own sake”.
The psychiatrist also referred him to the Granada Institute
(Granada had reported to Bishop O‟Mahony in May 1995 but had not seen Fr
Septimus at that stage.) The psychiatrist issued a written report in November
1995 to the Archdiocese. This report included his own assessment and a
summary of the Granada assessment provided by Dr Patrick Walsh.
It
stated:
“It should perhaps be stressed that at all times [Fr Septimus] has
denied any frank sexual element in his activities and maintains that he
was merely being a strict disciplinarian. He now recognises that his
behaviour was unwise and open to other interpretations. He insists
that he has not engaged in any such activities since 1983
…
I would agree with Dr Walsh that the question of the advisability of
allowing him to resume his parochial duties is one which must be
made by the Diocesan authorities, taking all the circumstances into
404
account. From the strictly psychiatric viewpoint , and on the strict
assumption that there has been no evidence of misconduct since at
least 1983, it would be reasonable to allow him to resume his duties
with the strict proviso that he does not have unsupervised contact with
children or male youths.”
Granada‟s report to which the psychiatrist refers was also sent to the
Archdiocese.
27.14
In February 1996, Fr Septimus denied that he had made admissions
to Monsignor Stenson as described above. In March 1996, he was instructed
by Bishop Ó Ceallaigh not to have any contact with children or young people.
The bishop met the senior curate in the parish and arranged a reallocation of
responsibilities in order to ensure this. Monsignor Stenson arranged therapy
for the complainant.
27.15
Meanwhile, the Gardaí were investigating the October 1995 complaint
(the complaint relating to the 1960 incident). They told the Archdiocese in
March 1996, as recorded by Monsignor Stenson that: “…the issue seemed to
be more corporal punishment and physical assault. Nevertheless, they intend
to speak with [Fr Septimus] in the near future. They believe the case will go
to the D.P.P. but it is highly unlikely that it will be seen as anything other than
physical assault”.
27.16
The file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in June
1996 and he directed that there should be no prosecution.
Referral to advisory panel
27.17
Fr Septimus‟s case was referred to the advisory panel in April 1996.
At the request of the panel, Monsignor Stenson sought clarification as to the
meaning of “unsupervised contact”, as such a prohibition does not sit easily
with the responsibilities of a parish priest.
The psychiatrist and Dr Walsh of
Granada each provided some clarification – it meant not being alone with
children and restricting the priest‟s ministry to children in “substantial” ways to
avoid suspicion and this included informal contact such as scouts, home visits
and playgrounds.
405
27.18
The panel made a recommendation in June 1996. Having considered
“one specific allegation of extreme physical abuse on a young boy carried out
in the early 1960s and two separate accusations of somewhat uncertain
reliability”, it considered that Fr Septimus was in the category of people about
whom there were insufficient grounds “in justice” to remove from ministry.
“The Panel has concluded that in justice there is not a case for removing [Fr
Septimus] from his present ministry.
It does however believe that the
restrictions outlined above by Dr Walsh should be enforced and carefully
monitored. In addition it is the view of the Panel supported by [an expert] that
in the interests of prudence a formal assessment could be conducted to rule
out any risk that [Fr Septimus] may be a latent paedophile…”
27.19
The panel‟s recommendations were accepted. Archbishop Connell
met Fr Septimus and outlined the restrictions that were to be observed in
relation to children. He also told Fr Septimus that arrangements would be
made for a formal assessment.
27.20
Meanwhile, the Gardaí reported in May 1996 in respect of the
complaint made in October 1995 of a severe beating in 1960: “the assaults
alleged by [the complainant] do not in my opinion amount to a sexual assault.
They amount perhaps if proven to common assault maybe bordering on
actual bodily harm. However, they are totally uncorroborated and there is
only [the complainant‟s] word that they occurred. [Fr Septimus] did not totally
deny that they happened”. The Gardaí recommended that, owing to the time
delay in reporting the matter and the differences between the versions of
events of the complainant and the school principal, no further action be taken
on the file.
27.21
In January 1997, the curate in Fr Septimus‟s parish who now had
responsibility for dealing with any matters involving children, including altar
boys, arrived at the church to find Fr Septimus training a number of altar
boys.
The curate challenged him and he replied that the allegations had
come to nothing and that the Archbishop had brought him in more or less to
apologise to him.
This was not true – the Archbishop brought him in to
outline the restrictions. The curate reported the matter to Monsignor Stenson
who immediately reported the matter to Bishop Ó Ceallaigh.
406
27.22
On a date unknown in 1997, Archbishop Connell imposed a canonical
precept on Fr Septimus with the following conditions:
that he reside in the presbytery;
that he was forbidden to be alone with children or assume
responsibility for assignments that have primary responsibility for
them;
that he continue to see his therapist;
that he attend weekly group therapy;
that he maintain regular contact with his spiritual director;
that he be supervised/ monitored.
Another complaint, 1997
27.23
Another complainant came forward in August 1997.
The type of
abuse alleged was of corporal punishment on his bare buttocks.
It was
decided in the Archdiocese that the nature of the complaint did not involve
sexual abuse; consequently it concluded that there was no obligation under
Church policy at the time to refer the matter to the Gardaí. The complainant
was advised of this view and it was suggested that he might wish to complain
directly to the Gardaí. It was however decided to refer the matter to the
advisory panel again. Fr Septimus denied this complainant‟s allegations and
was reluctant to undergo a formal assessment as requested by the
Archdiocese.
27.24
In December 1997, the Gardaí recommended in relation to the August
1997 complaint:
“… the Accused‟s conduct in this case was vile, despicable and
probably sadistic.
It comprised all but the worst elements of a bad assault in that it was
brutal and had sado-sexual connotations.
By stripping or partially disrobing these children they were made feel
dirty, vulnerable and above all extremely ashamed.
I also hold the view that the act of disrobing (and thereby indecently
exposing) anyone –child or adult- amounts to an indecent assault.
…
407
In those circumstances I would recommend a charge (or charges) of
indecent assault”.
27.25
Despite this recommendation, the Commission has not found a record
of this file being sent to the DPP.
Fr Septimus and Monsignor Stenson
27.26
Fr Septimus expressed his dissatisfaction with how Monsignor
Stenson was handling his case.
He continued to deny having made the
statement in relation to the 1995 complaint. He demanded an apology from
Monsignor Stenson which “acknowledges fully and explicitly the injustice he
did to me”.
Fr Septimus‟s solicitor was in contact with the Archdiocese
looking for copies of statements. The priest saw himself as being a “priestvictim”.
Eventually, after much discussion, Fr Septimus agreed to go for
formal assessment in November 1997.
27.27
Granada reported in May 1998 that Fr Septimus was so focused on
the way he was treated by Monsignor Stenson that it had been unable to
carry out the proposed assessment. In September 1998, Granada reported:
“Difficulties remain in relation to the complaints made against [Fr
Septimus], in that, they have been either made anonymously or the
people making them have refused to formalise them89. As a result it
has not been possible to act on the complaints.
Furthermore, [Fr
Septimus‟s] own position is that while he acknowledges physical
complaints, he has denied sexual abuse.
Given this set of
circumstances it is concluded that unless the diocese can verify and
substantiate the complaints, [Fr Septimus] should remain in ministry.
Continuing in ministry, however, should be with the explicit proviso
that he has no formal contact with children or young people and that
he agrees to avoid informal contact with them also.”
27.28
A further canonical precept was issued by Archbishop Connell in
October 1998 which decreed that:
89
It is not clear to the Commission that the relevant people were ever contacted.
408
Fr Septimus was to have neither unsupervised involvement with
minors nor any direct ministry to minors except in the public
celebration of mass.
He was to continue to consult with the Granada Institute (or similar
institute) on an ongoing basis.
The curate would have direct responsibility for altar servers in the
parish.
27.29
Fr Septimus wrote to the Archbishop claiming that Monsignor Stenson
had defamed him and that under canon law he was entitled to challenge
assertions made by him. He rejected any suggestion that he might have
been involved in child sexual abuse or that he had “beaten up” anyone,
though he found his attendance at the Granada Institute helpful “in assisting
me over the traumas imposed on me by Monsignor Stenson…which were
inflicted in your name”.90 He took offence at the canonical decree and sought
to have it set aside. He continued with this campaign through his solicitors,
seeking the destruction of the statement attributed to him which he had said
was falsified.
27.30
Following a meeting in March 1999, Fr Septimus finally agreed to
withdraw from ministry involving children by discontinuing his connection with
the local national school and agreed that the curate and a lay person would
have responsibility for altar servers.
27.31
There was some monitoring of compliance with the conditions.
Monsignor John Dolan met Fr Septimus in October 2001.
Monsignor Dolan
advised him of the mandatory direction for his continued attendance at
Granada with which he had not been complying. By December 2001, he was
attending Granada again. The precept was extended for a further period of
two years.
Further complaints, 2002
27.32
Another complainant emerged in July 2002.
This man made his
complaint to a priest of the Archdiocese, who brought it to the attention of the
archdiocesan authorities.
90
The priest was asked to encourage the man
The Granada Institute has pointed out to the Commission that it never assumed that Fr
Septimus‟s accusations against Monsignor Stenson were valid.
409
concerned to make a formal complaint about the matter so that the
Archdiocese could pursue it and report it to the Gardaí. The complaint was of
sexual abuse in the 1970s. The nature of the abuse alleged was similar to
that alleged in the other complaints but this time, there was little room for
doubt that the acts were carried out for sexual gratification. The complainant
said he saw Fr Septimus masturbating immediately after he was beaten.
27.33
This complainant also informed the Archdiocese about his knowledge
of abuse of three other boys. One of these had already complained to the
Archdiocese. This complainant said one of the others had since committed
suicide.
Monsignor Dolan asked this complainant to encourage the third
person to contact the Archdiocese. This man did so in August 2002.
His
complaint was similar to the others in many respects.
27.34
Fr Septimus denied the allegations made by these two complainants.
The Archdiocese informed the Gardaí.
27.35
Fr Septimus initially declined to resign as parish priest. Subsequently,
following a telephone conversation with Archbishop Connell in August 2002,
he agreed to retire on the grounds of ill health. The Archdiocese insisted that
he move away from the parish and he was not permitted to carry out any
public ministry.
He was informed that, although he could resign on the
grounds of ill health, the Archdiocese would not mislead as to the real reason
behind the resignation if it was asked for an explanation.
27.36
In November 2002, Archbishop Connell revoked the faculties of the
Archdiocese from Fr Septimus although he was permitted to continue to say
mass privately. The other conditions regarding continued attendance at
Granada and a ban on unsupervised contact with children continued to apply.
Fr Septimus appealed against the precept to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. The Congregation confirmed the Archbishop‟s
decree. It was pointed out by the Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), that the imposition of a precept
in canon law was only valid in the short term pending the formal outcome of a
canonical process. The type of process envisaged is either a penal process,
the outcome of which may lead to laicisation or simply a process seeking to
impede the priest from ministry.
410
Bishop O’Mahony and the 1980s complaints
27.37
In March 2003, Bishop O‟Mahony prepared a statement referring to
his investigation of this matter in the early 1980s. He stated:
“To the best of my recollection [Fr Septimus] resumed his ministry at
[the parish] following the discharge from hospital.
I judged the
situation as one in which the information relayed by [the complainant]
was not reliable. I believe that I emphasised to [Fr Septimus] the
importance of following the advice of [the psychiatrist].
I did not inform Archbishop Dermot Ryan of the complaint. Sensitivity
towards [Fr Septimus‟s] mental state, particularly as he recovered
from his nervous breakdown caused me to treat the matter as
confidential”.
27.38
In this statement, Bishop O‟Mahony also said that the complainant had
returned to him in 2002 and told him that she had since discovered the
allegation that she had made was untrue. He did not mention anything about
her saying this to him in 1995. He reported that she stated: “She had been
ostracised by the community when it became known that she had reported
the priest to the Bishop with a false allegation” and he further stated that she
had told an investigating Garda of this fact. This 2003 statement does not
address the fact that the treating psychiatrist clearly believed that there were
sustainable allegations about Fr Septimus in the early 1980s.
Bishop
O‟Mahony also clearly believed at the time that there were sustainable
allegations about beatings on holiday camps. His emphasis, in 2003, on the
veracity of this particular complainant neatly allows him to avoid addressing
the fact that there were sustainable complaints similar in nature to those
reported by this complainant and that child protection measures were not put
in place.
27.39
In August 2003, Cardinal Connell initiated the canonical process to
impede Fr Septimus‟s ministry under Canon 1044.91
In October 2004,
Archbishop Martin wrote to Fr Septimus telling him that he had witnessed him
91
This canon refers to a priest being impeded by reason of insanity or some other psychological
infirmity.
411
wearing clerical garb in violation of the precept and warning him to abide by
the terms of the precept until the determination of the administrative process.
27.40
The canonical process was still continuing in 2007.
27.41
Between 2003 and 2005, five further complaints were made to the
Gardaí against Fr Septimus.
The garda investigations
27.42
The DPP decided not to prosecute in the case of the 1995 complaint –
the complaint that related to the 1960 incident. A file does not appear to have
been sent to the DPP in relation to the 1997 complaint.
27.43
The fact that the files were reviewed in January 2002 suggests that
the files were not submitted at the conclusion of the investigations in the late
1990s in relation to the 1997 complaint.
The detective inspector who
reviewed the files stated: “As I would not deem the assaults as sexual
assaults but common assault, I respectfully suggest that no further action be
taken in the case”.
27.44
The files were finally submitted to the DPP‟s office in 2005. The DPP
directed no prosecution in relation to these complaints or in relation to the two
complaints which were made in 2002 or in relation to the five further
complaints which emerged between 2003 and 2005. All cases were stated to
be compromised because of the lapse of time since the offences allegedly
took place (most of the complaints dated back as far as the 1960s), some
inconsistencies in relation to statements taken, lack of corroboration, and
difficulties which were anticipated because individual complainants had
consulted each other prior to making formal complaints to the Gardaí.
27.45
Two different explanations were offered by Gardaí in 2006 as to why
the file in the 1997 complaint was not sent to the DPP much earlier.
One
explanation was that the decision was deferred pending the outcome of
investigations into other complaints.
Another explanation was that Fr
Septimus had never been interviewed about the complaint.
412
The Commission’s assessment
27.46
The Commission is of the view that, had a thorough investigation of
the allegations been undertaken at the time of the first complaints in 1982 and
1983, at the very least by approaching the parents of the children concerned,
the truth of the matter could easily have been ascertained. The Commission
considers that the purported investigation of these events at the time was
inadequate and could never have got to the truth of the matter.
27.47
It is quite astonishing that Bishop O‟Mahony did not report the
complaints to Archbishop Ryan.
27.48
The Commission is concerned that nobody in the Archdiocese, other
than Bishop O‟Mahony, contacted the woman who made the 1982 complaints
and nobody at all contacted the people whom she alleged were abused.
413
Chapter 28
Fr William Carney
Introduction
28.1
William (Bill) Carney was born in 1950 and was ordained for the
Archdiocese of Dublin in 1974. He served in the Archdiocese from ordination
until 1989. He was suspended from or had restricted ministry during some of
this time. He was dismissed from the clerical state in 1992.
28.2
Bill Carney is a serial sexual abuser of children, male and female. The
Commission is aware of complaints or suspicions of child sexual abuse
against him in respect of 32 named individuals. There is evidence that he
abused many more children.
He had access to numerous children in
residential care; he took groups of children on holiday; he went swimming
with groups of children. He pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault in
1983. The Archdiocese paid compensation to six of his victims. He was one
of the most serious serial abusers investigated by the Commission. There is
some evidence suggesting that, on separate occasions, he may have acted in
concert with other convicted clerical child sexual abusers - Fr Francis
McCarthy (see Chapter 41) and Fr Patrick Maguire (see Chapter 16).
28.3
A number of witnesses who gave evidence to the Commission,
including priests of the diocese, described Bill Carney as crude and loutish.
Virtually all referred to his crude language and unsavoury personal habits.
One parent told the Commission that the family had complained to the parish
priest about his behaviour but the parish priest said there was nothing he
could do.
28.4
In 1974, the year Fr Carney was ordained, the President of Clonliffe
College, when assessing him for teaching, reported to Archbishop Dermot
Ryan that Fr Carney was “very interested in child care” and was “best with the
less intelligent”.
His first appointment was as a teacher in Ballyfermot
Vocational School while also being chaplain to a convent in Walkinstown.
The following year, Fr Carney asked Archbishop Ryan to transfer him from
Walkinstown (he was living in the convent) to Ballyfermot "to be more
available to the boys and their parents” in Ballyfermot school.
414
Attempts to foster children
28.5
In 1977/78, Fr Carney made inquiries about fostering children.
A
social worker in the Eastern Health Board (EHB) told the Commission that
she thought the inquiry was odd because “generally priests don‟t parent
children”. At the time, single men were not allowed to foster so the inquiry
went no further at that stage. Fr Carney discussed the idea with Archbishop
Ryan who does not seem to have encouraged him.
28.6
In 1980, Fr Carney again explored the possibility of fostering. He
discussed the matter with Bishop James Kavanagh and, according to himself,
was told by Bishop Kavanagh that the idea was basically “good and sound”.
In a letter to Archbishop Ryan, Fr Carney told him he had had lunch with the
Minister for Health, Dr. Michael Woods TD, who, he said, assured him that “as
far as he knew there would be no difficulty from the Eastern Health Board”.
Dr Woods told the Commission that he has no recollection of meeting Fr
Carney but that, if he had been asked about fostering, he would have referred
him to the Eastern Health Board.
Fr Carney‟s letter was sent to Bishop
Dermot O‟Mahony for comment and Bishop Kavanagh for handling but there
is no record of their reactions. Around the same time, Fr Carney set out his
proposal in writing to the minister following on previous discussions about the
matter. He told the minister about his involvement in children‟s homes (see
below). He said he had a “housemother” available and that his parish priest
was in “full support”. There is no evidence that the proposal progressed any
further.
28.7
Fr Carney specifically inquired about fostering a particular boy from an
institution when the Ten Plus92 programme got under way around 1982/3.
This boy subsequently alleged that Fr Carney had abused him (see below).
Children in or from children’s homes
28.8
During his time in Clonliffe College (1968 – 1974), Bill Carney and a
number of other students were regular visitors to a number of children‟s
homes. The children‟s homes visited by Bill Carney were St Joseph‟s, Tivoli
Road; St Vincent‟s, Drogheda; Lakelands, Sandymount and The Grange, Kill
O The Grange. The Clonliffe students took children away for holidays during
92
This was a programme to encourage the fostering of children over the age of ten.
415
the summers. Bill Carney‟s involvement with St Joseph‟s and The Grange
was more extensive than with the other institutions and continued after his
ordination. The Commission is aware of complaints by three former residents
of St Vincent‟s, one former resident of St Joseph‟s and one former resident of
The Grange that Bill Carney sexually abused them.
There is a strong
suspicion that one other resident of St Joseph‟s was abused and there are
suspicions that other residents of all the institutions he visited were also
abused.
28.9
In the 1970s, care workers in some of the children‟s homes visited by
Fr Carney clearly did not regard him as a good influence and there were also
concerns among health board social workers. At least one care worker in
The Grange seems to have had suspicions of inappropriate behaviour but the
Commission was unable to contact this person to verify this. Health board
social workers gave evidence to the Commission that they were concerned
about Fr Carney‟s influence on some residents of the homes but they did not
suspect sexual abuse.
Their main concern was that he was creating
unrealistic expectations among the children including expectations that he
could provide them with a home.
St Vincent‟s, Drogheda
28.10
St Vincent‟s was an industrial school and, as such, was governed by
the provisions of the Children Acts.
Bill Carney and other deacons and/or
priests took some of the residents away on holidays. Three boys complained
they were abused by Bill Carney on these holidays.
Another priest, who
accompanied Bill Carney and some boys on holidays in 1973, gave evidence
to the Gardaí that, while he never saw any sexual abuse on that holiday, Bill
Carney did say to him that “you have to sleep with them because they are
insecure”.
St Joseph‟s, Tivoli Rd
28.11
This orphanage was run by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. It was
a private orphanage which received some state support (see Chapter 6) and
so was not subject to any statutory rules. The health authorities – the Dublin
Health Authority and subsequently the Eastern Health Board - did place some
children in the home and these children were visited by social workers.
416
28.12
The religious order which ran the orphanage told the Commission that,
up until the 1960s, children were not taken outside the home by outsiders.
During the 1960s, it became the practice to allow children to be taken to
selected family homes for the weekend or on holidays. It was considered that
this would be a good experience for children raised in institutions. The order
says that the families chosen for this purpose were well known to the order
and vetted for suitability.
28.13
The student priests from Clonliffe - Bill Carney and Francis McCarthy -
started to visit this home in 1973. They were deacons at this stage and they
approached the home to ask if they could help the children by engaging in
activities with them. Their offer was accepted as “they came from Clonliffe
College which was highly respected”. They were in the final stage of
preparation for priesthood and had skills from which the children could
benefit.
The visits continued after they were ordained.
children on holidays.
They took the
They were usually accompanied on holidays by
members of the order and/or a childcare worker but on one occasion the
children were accompanied only by the priests. They were “fully trusted” by
the order to take responsibility for the care and safety of the children. Some
of the boys were allowed visit one priest in his parish – Fr Francis McCarthy
in Dunlavin (see Chapter 41).
Concerns about a girl in St Joseph‟s
28.14
There are serious suspicions that a girl in St Joseph‟s was abused by
Fr Carney but no complaint has been made by her. In 1977, a senior social
worker noted, following a discussion with a nun in charge, “[name of girl]
fantasy relationship with Fr Bill is still all consuming and I agreed …
unhealthy”. The note further states “Her thoughts, conversations and her
artistic attempts concern going to bed with Fr. Bill”. This girl was 14 years old
at the time and had come to the orphanage with severe behavioural
difficulties. She had been placed in the home by the health board and there
was quite extensive social worker involvement with her. The order running
the home found it very difficult to cope with her. It is clear that Fr Carney was
regarded as a significant person in her life as he was invited to a case
conference about her.
417
28.15
This girl‟s social worker gave evidence to the Commission that she
had concerns about Fr Carney; she described how the girl was besotted with
him. He was always in and out of St Joseph‟s and the social worker felt that
his efforts to build up a special trusting relationship with her were
inappropriate. She did not take the matter up with the authorities in the home.
Her senior social worker did discuss it with the authorities in the home. She
never suspected sexual abuse – it never occurred to her at the time (1977).
28.16
The nun in charge of this girl‟s group also had concerns about this
girl‟s behaviour and reported these concerns to her superior. The girl was
writing Fr Carney‟s name on walls and was behaving strangely.
It was
considered that she had a crush on him. The superior spoke to Fr Carney
and discouraged him from having any dealings with the girl. The nuns did not
suspect child abuse.
Boy in St Joseph‟s
28.17
A boy in St Joseph‟s complained that he was abused by Fr Carney
while he was a resident in this home. The religious order has told the
Commission that it had no knowledge of any allegation or suspicion of abuse
in his case. Fr Carney was named as a significant contact in this boy‟s life in
a social work report in 1983. In 1982, the nun in charge and a care worker
were concerned about the frequency of Fr Carney‟s visits to him. A social
worker did have concerns about Fr Carney befriending him and asked Fr
Carney to stay away. The concerns did not extend to sexual abuse.
Social
workers visited this boy monthly. He went to stay with Fr Carney in Ayrfield
(the parish to which Fr Carney was appointed in 1977) on a number of
occasions and this is where the abuse occurred, according to the boy.
A
social worker told the Commission that she collected the boy from Fr
Carney‟s house and was concerned about the behaviour of Fr Carney
towards him – this boy was then 12 years old and Fr Carney seemed to be
helping him to dress.
She considered that Fr Carney was creating an
expectation in the boy of being a parent to him but she did not suspect any
sexual abuse. She reported her concerns to her senior social worker. In
February 1983, this boy told a care worker that he had been left alone in Fr
Carney‟s house until very late or until the morning. The care worker stopped
the boy‟s visits at this stage.
Fr Carney was very angry with her.
Subsequently, she and a social worker met him and it was agreed that he
418
would reduce his contact and that there would be no overnight visits except
on special occasions. The care worker felt the relationship was unhealthy but
did not suspect abuse.
The Grange, Kill O The Grange
28.18
The Grange was run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. It was a
private orphanage. The nun in charge of the institution from 1972 to 1980
said, in a statement to the Commission, that Fr Carney was a frequent visitor
to the Grange. He took children out for drives and day trips and sometimes
children would stay with him for the weekend.
He sometimes stayed
overnight in the home. She believed his involvement was in the interests of
the children as it provided them with an extra means of recreation. There
were discussions at the time about getting male staff and having the clerical
students/priests was seen as a stepping stone to this. They were regarded
as safe and trustworthy. She said that at no time did she have “any cause to
be suspicious” of Fr Carney‟s conduct. A girl who subsequently alleged that
she had been abused by Fr Carney was described by this nun as being
“crazy” about him and he always gave her special attention. This nun said
that the children were not regularly visited by social workers. A social worker
who was involved with this girl told the Commission that she met or visited the
girl several times a year and that there were review meetings involving social
workers and the care staff about twice a year. Sometimes the management
of the home was involved as well.
28.19
A staff member told Fr Carney in 1981 to stop seeing this girl. Contact
between him and the girl was resumed in 1982 and this caused concern to
the home and to the social worker.
28.20
The social worker spoke to Fr Carney in 1982 and told him she
thought he should not have any further contact with the girl as she felt “her
expectations of their relationship were inappropriate”. Fr Carney had told this
girl that he would look after her if she was pregnant.
The social worker
thought that this was completely inappropriate. Fr Carney asked if she was
telling him not to see this girl and she said „yes‟. Fr Carney subsequently
phoned the care worker to ask if he should send roses to this girl for her
birthday. The care worker and social worker thought this was inappropriate
419
but did not put it any further than that. The social worker did not suspect
sexual abuse.
28.21
It seems that around 1983, it was decided that the children could not
go and stay with Fr Carney, as a care worker had some suspicions about the
relationship between a boy and Fr Carney. A nun from The Grange told the
canonical church penal process taken against Fr Carney in 1991/92 (see
Chapter 4) that people did not specify what the problem was but she
understood that he was showing an “unhealthy interest” in young boys.
28.22
The Grange closed in or around 1982/1983. The girl who later alleged
she had been abused by Fr Carney moved to An Grianán (see below) in
1982.
28.23
In 1989, when she was an adult, this girl told the social worker who
had been dealing with her while she was in The Grange that she had been
sexually abused by Fr Carney while in The Grange and that the abuse
included full intercourse.
28.24
A nun from The Grange told the church penal process that she was
aware of concerns about Fr Carney in The Grange. She did not have direct
contact with him there but she reported that former residents of the Grange
stayed with him when he was in Clogher Road (the parish to which he was
appointed in 1986). She took one of them away from there in 1987 because
of the condition of the house – it was full of empty alcohol bottles and was
not, in her view, fit to live in.
An Grianán
28.25
An Grianán was also run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. It
catered for girls aged 12 to 18. Both the girl from St Joseph‟s and the girl
from The Grange moved to An Grianán when they were aged about 16. The
health board was no longer responsible for children in care once they reached
16 but the social worker told the Commission that she did visit the girl from
The Grange while she was in An Grianán. The nun in charge said in 1999
that, to the best of her knowledge, Fr Carney did not visit the girl from The
Grange in An Grianán. The girl says that he did and that he took her out for
the day on a number of occasions. The nun accepted that Fr Carney did call
420
to visit another former resident of The Grange after this particular girl had left.
The nun also stated that she heard rumours about Fr Carney in the mid
1980s “that were not positive”. A girl in An Grianán told her that she used to
visit Fr Carney in Ayrfield while she was living in a children‟s home and she
never wanted to visit him again as he had tried to molest her. The nun does
not appear to have done anything about this. It is not clear whether the girl
was alleging that this happened when she was underage.
28.26
The social worker was told by An Grianán that the girl from The
Grange was writing to Fr Carney while she was there. She also noted that he
had called to see her in An Grianán and did see her there at Christmas 1982.
This girl said that she was not abused in An Grianán. She thought the nun in
charge suspected Fr Carney and did not like him. It is clear that the nun in
charge did not like Fr Carney but it is not clear if she suspected him of abuse
while this girl was in An Grianán.
First recorded complaints to the Archdiocese, 1983
28.27
Fr Carney was appointed a curate in Ayrfield parish in 1977. At that
time he was a regular visitor to various homes and during his time in Ayrfield
brought many children from those homes to stay with him.
There is a
suggestion that the Archdiocese may have had a complaint or suspicions
about inappropriate behaviour by Fr Carney as early as 1978 but this cannot
now be established.
28.28
The first documented complaint about Fr Carney was made to the
Gardaí in July 1983 by altar boys; the altar boys did not complain to the
Archdiocese at this time. Complaints by boys who he took swimming were
made to the Archdiocese in September 1983; some of the swimming pool
complainants also complained to the Gardaí.
The altar boy complaints
28.29
In July 1983, two brothers went with their father to a Garda station and
complained that they had been abused by Fr Carney. Garda Finbar Garland
was a young garda with just under a year‟s experience when this complaint
was made to him. He told the Commission that, while he had experience in
taking statements, he had no training in taking statements from children. The
garda had a clear recollection of the young boys and their father coming to
421
the Garda Station. He said he was shocked and disgusted by what he heard.
He consulted his immediate superior, Sergeant Kiernan. Garda Garland went
to the boys‟ home later that day to take statements. The boys told him that
they were altar boys and had slept in Fr Carney‟s house on a number of
occasions and had gone on holidays with him. While in his house, one boy
would usually sleep in Fr Carney‟s bed and Fr Carney would fondle him. The
boys told the Garda of other boys who had spent time in Fr Carney‟s house.
He contacted the parents and took statements from three more boys the next
day and from two more boys at a later stage.
Some parents whom he
contacted told him to go away and not say such things about Fr Carney.
In
all, he contacted the parents of about 16 boys. Sergeant Kiernan told the
Commission that he was conscious of the need for a speedy investigation in
case anyone would influence what the boys might say or not say.
28.30
The day after this complaint was made, Fr Carney and the parish
priest of Ayrfield, Fr Ó Saorai, called to the Garda Station. Neither had been
asked to do so. It seems they had heard about the garda activity. In spite of
this, Fr Ó Saorai did not contact Archbishop‟s House. They were met by
Inspector Murphy and Sergeant Kiernan. Garda Garland was in the station at
the time but does not think he was at the meeting. Fr Carney was cautioned
and the boys‟ statements were read to him. He denied the allegations.
28.31
Sergeant Kiernan told the Commission that Fr Carney was “somewhat
agitated and indignant” and suggested that there were sinister or vindictive
motives behind the complaints and there was no basis for them. When told
by the Sergeant that there was more than one complaint, Fr Carney was
taken aback.
Inspector Murphy said he removed his collar but Sergeant
Kiernan does not remember that. At this stage Fr Ó Saorai seemed to be
under pressure – Sergeant Kiernan thinks Fr Ó Saorai was not fully aware of
the nature of the complaints until he saw the statements made by the boys.
28.32
Garda Garland took statements from two other boys in August 1983.
The criminal investigation into the altar boy complaints was completed on 30
August 1983 and the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP).
422
The swimming pool complaints
28.33
In September 1983 two sets of parents wrote to the Archbishop to
complain that their sons had been abused by Fr Carney in a swimming pool.
They went initially to the parish priest, Fr Ó Saorai. Fr Ó Saorai was reluctant
to go to the Archbishop even though the parents indicated they were going to
the Gardaí and even though Fr Ó Saorai was well aware that there was an
existing Garda investigation going on into the altar boy complaints. Fr Ó
Saorai told the parents that there were other allegations. The parents were
shocked and could not understand why the parish priest would not act. He
said that if they went to the Archbishop he would vouch for their truthfulness.
28.34
One of these parents then contacted Bishop Kavanagh.
She
described her approach to the Bishop as a waste of time as he never had
time and he always ended the conversation with “pray for him”. The parents
wrote to the Archbishop asking him to remove Fr Carney from their parish
“but not into another parish where he can continue his actions”.
The
Archbishop‟s secretary acknowledged this letter as the Archbishop was away.
28.35
One set of parents of the swimming pool complainants made
statements to the Gardaí at around this time. The other set of parents did not
report to the Gardaí. The mother told the Commission that she was afraid to
do so as she was ostracised by some of her neighbours for making a
complaint to the Church.
In November 1983 this same mother phoned
Archbishop‟s House to complain that Fr Carney was still around Ayrfield.
28.36
Shortly after this, Fr Ó Saorai contacted the Archdiocese when he
discovered that money was missing and may have been taken by a boy who
was staying with Fr Carney.
The Church investigation
28.37
On 12 November 1983, Archbishop Ryan asked Monsignor Alex
Stenson and Canon Ardle McMahon to investigate the swimming pool
complaints – this was two months after the complaints were received.
Monsignor Stenson and Canon McMahon compiled a comprehensive report.
28.38
Fr John Wilson, the Archbishop‟s secretary, told the Church
investigators that he had been approached by a classmate of Fr Carney who
423
was concerned about Fr Carney‟s drinking and his non-attendance at retreats
and class gatherings. Fr Ó Saorai had been in touch with Fr Wilson and had
indicated that people had complained about Fr Carney. Fr Ó Saorai had
interviewed two sets of parents who had complained to him and he was
aware that there had been other allegations and that parents had already
gone to the Gardaí.
28.39
Bishop Kavanagh was informed of the difficulties and was in touch
with Chief Superintendent Maurice O'Connor of Whitehall. Fr Wilson was
aware that the accusations were at that stage in the DPP's office.
Bishop
Kavanagh had recommended that Fr Carney leave the parish for a month; it
was also indicated that he should not go back to Ayrfield nor should he have
children around the house. In fact, Fr Carney was still around the parish and
was involved with young people. It seems that Fr Carney had moved to stay
with Fr Francis McCarthy in Enniskerry but returned to Ayrfield frequently.
28.40
Bishop Kavanagh told the Church investigators that he had been
alerted to problems in early September and had spoken to Fr Ó Saorai. The
report does not say who first alerted him but the Commission thinks it likely
that it was Chief Superintendent O‟Connor. The chief superintendent told the
Commission that he considered it his duty to inform Bishop Kavanagh. Fr Ó
Saorai told Bishop Kavanagh that he had heard rumours earlier and had
received an anonymous call in about 1981 alleging that Fr Carney had invited
a young boy to sleep with him. At this stage Fr Carney had a 19-year-old
former resident of an institution staying with him.
Bishop Kavanagh said he
had been in touch with Chief Superintendent O‟Connor who was the senior
garda officer in the area. The chief superintendent told him it was unlikely that
charges would be brought.
28.41
Fr Ó Saorai confirmed what Bishop Kavanagh had told the Church
investigators and reported on his and Fr Carney‟s visit to the garda station.
28.42
The parents were also interviewed by the Church investigators. They
were angry at the delay in dealing with the matter; they believed the children‟s
accounts; they also complained of other aspects of Fr Carney‟s behaviour
including foul language, always playing golf, unkempt appearance and
inappropriate jokes. One parent asked that Fr Carney not only be removed
424
from the parish but also that no other parish or children be put at risk by his
reappointment elsewhere. The parent also asked to be informed of whatever
decision was made about Fr Carney. The report remarks about the parents‟
statements: “Allowing for a certain bias in their account in view of what these
parents believe had happened to their children there was nevertheless an
amount of information forthcoming which was disturbing”.
28.43
The Church investigators then put the swimming pool allegations to Fr
Carney. He denied them. He agreed he got on well with children and did
take the two boys (and others) swimming; he was usually accompanied by
two adults (one of whom was Fr Patrick Maguire, a Columban priest who was
actually serving in the Archdiocese of Dublin at the time but no one in
Archbishop‟s House seems to have adverted to this. Fr Maguire is also a
convicted serial child sexual abuser – see Chapter 16).
In what the
investigators described as a “turning point” in the interview, Fr Carney
acknowledged “horseplay” in the swimming pool which the children could
have misinterpreted. He thought that a recent allegation involving an actor
from Coronation Street93 had caused an over reaction among the parents and
the children. Fr Carney also told them of a parish meeting held two years
earlier where various “wild allegations” were made about him.
These
included getting the scoutmaster‟s 15-year-old daughter pregnant, assaulting
a seven-year-old girl who was treated in intensive care, excessive drinking
and always golfing. “Some of these were obviously untrue and had been
shown to be”, he claimed.
To the surprise of the investigators, Fr Carney
raised the question of whether or not he was entitled to the November mass
offerings. The investigators said it was their understanding that he was still
appointed as curate in Ayrfield and so was entitled to the offerings. They
emphasised that his recent visit to the parish had not been welcomed and
that he should stay away pending the findings of this inquiry (he had turned
up at a school board meeting).
28.44
Following the formal interview, Fr Carney asked to see Monsignor
Stenson.
He told Monsignor Stenson that he believed Fr Ó Saorai was
prejudiced against him; other people and priests would speak well of him – he
cited the names of some who would; he had taken hundreds of children
93
Apparently there were allegations about an actor in Coronation Street that he had abused
young girls in a swimming pool.
425
swimming over the years and there were no allegations; the adults who were
with him should be approached; he was “slightly less absolute about his vow
of obedience” to the Archbishop as he must defend his own personal integrity
and reputation.
28.45
The Church investigators carried out the investigations quickly and
thoroughly.
They did not interview the children but they were well
represented by their parents. They issued their report on 24 November 1983.
It concluded:
“1. We are satisfied that we got as close to the truth as we can. Fr C is
sincere and believes what he tells but there seems to be a gap
between what he perceives and what in fact the case may be.
2. He did acknowledge “horseplay” and agreed that physical contact
occurred which was open to the suggestion of sexual molestation.
However, he categorically denied any attempt to sexually interfere with
children.
3. Fr C is in need of guidance, help and education in interpersonal
relations. (Perhaps a stay in The Servants of the Paraclete, Stroud,
for therapeutic and spiritual renewal might help). At present he is not
suitable for Parish; nor should he be appointed to an Institution with
children.
4. Fr Carney has indicated his readiness to obey the Archbishop‟s
directives in his regard.
Recommendations:
1. Fr Carney should be taken out of Parish ministry for some time until he
has sorted out his capacity to relate with respect to others
2. Fr Carney should be given immediate legal advice. Should the DPP
proceed might it be advisable to have Fr C out of the jurisdiction?94 Fr
C has many friends and the question of financing his legal expenses
should be considered.
It would be a pity if we were seen to be
apparently “washing our hands” in this regard
3.
94
Action should be taken immediately”.
Monsignor Stenson has asked the Commission to point out that the question of sending Fr
Carney to Stroud was being considered and there were concerns about whether or not this
would be appropriate as a DPP decision was pending.
426
28.46
This report was sent to Archbishop Ryan who asked a series of
questions for clarification. The replies from Monsignor Stenson reiterated Fr
Carney‟s denial of any wrongdoing and his denial that anything could have
happened which he could not remember because he was drunk.
28.47
In December 1983, Monsignor Stenson wrote to the parents of the
swimming pool complainants to convey the gratitude of Archbishop Ryan and
to assure them “he is taking every measure possible to ensure that there will
be no recurrence of the problem”.
Interaction between Bishop Kavanagh and Chief Superintendent
O’Connor
28.48
As already described, it is clear that Bishop Kavanagh and Chief
Superintendent O‟Connor were in touch with each other about the complaints
against Fr Carney. The contemporaneous statement of Bishop Kavanagh
states that the chief superintendent told him it was unlikely that charges would
be brought against Fr Carney.
Chief Superintendent O‟Connor told the
Commission that he did tell Bishop Kavanagh that the complaints were being
investigated; he said that he himself did not read the file and he denied that
he told the Bishop that prosecution was unlikely. The Commission finds the
contents of the contemporaneous Church documents more persuasive than
the evidence of Chief Superintendent O‟Connor.
28.49
Chief Superintendent O‟Connor told the Commission that Bishop
Kavanagh lived up the road from where he had his office (in Whitehall Garda
Station) and he (the bishop) used to call into the office “for an ordinary
conversation” maybe once or twice a month. The chief superintendent did not
find this unusual and did not ask the bishop why he was coming in: “he came
in as an ordinary visitor and he‟d come in, walk into my office”. They were not
personally friendly. There were no particular purposes for the visits. The
Commission finds this strange. People, bishops included, do not normally
just walk into garda stations and then into the office of a chief superintendent
without some purpose.
Prosecution and court case
28.50
There might well have been no prosecution if the altar boy
complainants had gone to the Archdiocese or, indeed, if Fr Ó Saorai had
427
reported the swimming pool complaints to the Archdiocese when he first knew
of them. The file in the case of the altar boy complaints had already gone to
the DPP (in August 1983) before the Archdiocese became aware (in
September 1983) that there were complaints against Fr Carney.
28.51
Chief
Superintendent
O‟Connor
was
told
of
the
case
by
Superintendent Byrne. The file was sent to the DPP by Superintendent Byrne
in the usual way. The Commission was told by the Gardaí that it would not be
normal practice to submit it first to the chief superintendent.
28.52
The Archdiocese had in its possession a copy of the report prepared
for the DPP by Sergeant Kiernan. Inspector Murphy was surprised when this
was pointed out to him by the Commission. It is not clear how this was
acquired by the Archdiocese. In the events that happened, and given Bishop
Kavanagh‟s privileged access to the Gardaí, the Commission considers it
reasonable to infer that the Archdiocese received this document from the
Gardaí.
28.53
In November 1983, the DPP issued directions to prosecute in the
District Court in respect of six boys. Garda Garland was in touch with the
parents to keep them updated about developments. The court date was set
for 9 December. The Gardaí did not expect the case to be dealt with on that
day as they thought that Fr Carney was going to plead not guilty and the
question of whether or not the District Court could deal with it would have
been an issue.
28.54
Bishop Kavanagh continued to be in touch with Chief Superintendent
O‟Connor. The Chief Superintendent told him that “as a result of meeting in
Swords with Supt Byrne, case will be held on 9 Dec at 2.00 pm in camera”.
Monsignor Stenson said in 1991 that “to avoid publicity the Court case was
moved from Howth to Sutton Golf Club” and “B Kavanagh did a lot to ensure
the matter was kept low key and may have been instrumental in having the
court case moved…”.
28.55
In fact, the case was held at the then regular venue but it is not clear if
it was dealt with in a regular manner.
428
28.56
Monsignor Stenson was under the impression that the court venue
was moved from Howth to Sutton Golf Club to avoid publicity and that Bishop
Kavanagh may have been instrumental in having it moved.
In fact, the
normal venue at the time for Howth District Court was Suttonians Rugby Club
and this is where the case was held.
28.57
Garda Garland, Sergeant Kiernan and Inspector Murphy attended the
court. One of the mothers was present. There were no other witnesses. Fr
Carney was accompanied by a priest friend and a lawyer.
28.58
The case was held in camera – this was not unusual because it
involved a minor. Fr Carney‟s priest friend, who accompanied him to the
court, told the Commission that Fr Carney‟s case was set to be heard last
thing in the afternoon.
He was waiting for it to be held when the judge
indicated that he “was finished with all cases for the day. The court was
cleared”. This priest was about to leave when a Garda indicated that he
should stay.
The judge then returned and the case proceeded. It is normal
practice in criminal in camera cases to clear the court but the press are
allowed to stay. It is not known if any members of the press were present at
this case.
28.59
Fr Carney pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault against the
altar boy complainants and the other four charges were withdrawn.
The
judge granted the Probation Act, having heard evidence that Fr Carney was
receiving psychiatric treatment. Sergeant Kiernan told the Commission that
the court was given a report outlining the treatment which Fr Carney had
begun and it was submitted on his behalf that he would not be involved in
future ministry with children. The statement from his solicitor that he was
receiving medical care seems to have been a major factor in the judge‟s
decision. In fact, he had not yet started medical treatment. Garda Garland
recalled that the mother who was present was very upset by the leniency of
the sentence. The garda was also disappointed.
28.60
Fr Carney‟s priest friend who was in court said that what saved Fr
Carney was a letter from Dr John Cooney of St Patrick‟s Hospital.
Afterwards, Fr Carney wanted a celebration with “the lads”. His priest friend
429
stopped this. He told Fr Wilson that Fr Carney should go to St Patrick's
immediately; Fr Wilson agreed.
After the court case
28.61
Bishop Kavanagh wanted to have Fr Carney admitted to St Patrick‟s
Hospital immediately but Fr Carney wanted to wait until after Christmas.
Bishop Kavanagh told Fr Carney to stay away from the northside.
28.62
Fr Carney‟s priest friend reported to Fr Wilson that Fr Carney was
drinking a lot, was in debt and his car was not taxed. He thought Fr Carney
should really be reduced to the lay state because of his behaviour: “Fr C does
not seem to realise the seriousness of the situation. He considers himself
innocent of the charges”. He said that Fr Carney had to be restrained from
visiting a complainant‟s home the night before the court case; he invited
people from Ayrfield to the friend‟s house the night before; this priest said he
would exercise as much control as he could but could not promise much
success.
28.63
It seems that everyone dealing with Fr Carney at this stage, including
Archbishop Ryan, thought he should be in hospital but Bishop Kavanagh
seems to have been reluctant to insist and he decided not to take further
action until after Christmas.
28.64
Archbishop Ryan wrote to Fr Carney, ending his appointment at
Ayrfield. The letter said “I must ask you to sever all links with the Parish of
Ayrfield and avoid those places and persons which have been the occasion of
your difficulties”. It also referred to Fr Carney being in Dr Cooney‟s care for
treatment (which he was not at that stage). Fr Carney had gone to stay with
another priest in spite of the fact that Bishop Kavanagh had specifically
forbidden him to stay there.
28.65
Later in December 1983, Fr Carney wrote to Archbishop Ryan telling
him that he had arranged with Dr Cooney to go to St Patrick's Hospital on 6
January 1984. He was going away with a friend for a few days before that.
He said he had been “dry” for two weeks and he apologised for the upset he
may have caused the Archbishop.
430
28.66
Inspector Murphy told the Commission that there were no discussions
with other authorities about the danger posed by Fr Carney to children. “I
suppose looking at it we depended on the Church authority to deal with that
aspect of it”. Sergeant Kiernan told the Commission that he now thinks he
should have contacted Archbishop‟s House after the court case to try to
ensure that Fr Carney was not ministering to children and that he should have
contacted the health board.
1984
28.67
Fr Carney was treated in St Patrick‟s Hospital from January 1984 until
March 1984.
He was then given a temporary assignment in Clonskeagh
parish under the direction of Monsignor Michael Browne PP.
While in
Clonskeagh, Fr Carney was to live with the Marist Fathers in Milltown and
from April to July 1984, he was to attend a residential retreat for priests. The
Marist Fathers have told the Commission that, even though they asked, they
were not made aware of the reason for Fr Carney‟s stay with them.
28.68
Monsignor Browne was told by Monsignor Jerome Curtin “in outline
only” some features of Fr Carney‟s time in Ayrfield; he was given further
information by two other priests, one of whom was Fr Francis McCarthy.
Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that he was under the impression
Monsignor Browne had been briefed. Monsignor Browne told the Church
penal process in 1990 that he was told that Fr Carney had an alcohol
problem.
He had heard some rumours about complaints in his previous
parish. It is clear that Monsignor Browne was not fully informed as he did not
make any effort to keep Fr Carney away from children. In April, Monsignor
Browne reported to the Archbishop that Fr Carney was “reliable, punctual,
always available for more work than he had been assigned”. His celebration
of mass was commended; he celebrated class masses in local schools and
the teachers felt this was a priest who could “really communicate with the
children”.
He maintained contact with St Patrick's Hospital and with
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
Nothing was done as a result of this report,
even though it contained a clear account of Fr Carney‟s continuing
involvement with children. In fact, it would appear that it was regarded as a
good report.
431
28.69
At some stage, the head of the Marist house told Monsignor Browne
that Fr Carney was not staying there all the time and that he had had to
reprimand him for his coarse language.
28.70
It is not clear if Fr Carney ever attended the residential retreat. He
certainly did not stay very long, if he attended at all. He told Archbishop Ryan
in July that he had told Bishop Kavanagh in advance that he would not be
attending – this cannot be established.
His non-attendance or partial
attendance seems to have come to the attention of the Archbishop only when
the retreat was over – in effect, no one was monitoring him for that three
month period.
28.71
In July 1984, Archbishop Ryan met Fr Carney who said he had
adhered to his doctor‟s instructions and had not consumed alcohol since
December 1983.
28.72
There is no written report from Dr Cooney at this stage but he did tell
the Archbishop‟s secretary in July that Fr Carney should be given a diocesan
appointment but that he would need to be supervised by the parish priest. Dr
Cooney requested Fr Carney to report to him on a weekly basis for six to nine
months and said that this should be a condition on which Fr Carney was to be
offered a pastoral position. While Stroud was a possibility, Dr Cooney felt
that, because of the immaturity and vulnerability of Fr Carney, he would be
better to remain in his own environment in the conditions outlined. A place
which had been booked for Fr Carney in Stroud was cancelled.
28.73
Monsignor Browne was asked to take Fr Carney on the same
conditions as before – that is, he had to live in the Marist house and be under
supervision. Monsignor Browne expressed every willingness to co-operate
but did say he was gravely disappointed with Fr Carney‟s behaviour as he
had heard some reports which were not good; these were not specified.
Fr
Carney was sent to Clonskeagh on the same conditions as before. Bishop
Carroll met Fr Carney who was unhappy that he did not get a permanent
appointment. Bishop Carroll walked Fr Carney to his car and reported that
there was a young boy (he used the Latin word “puer”) in the car.
432
28.74
A parent of one of the victims wrote to Monsignor Stenson pointing out
that it was nine months since their meeting. He had asked then to be kept
informed of “ensuing events”, and he had heard nothing. He had had to move
his family from Ayrfield out of duty to his children, to get away from Fr Carney
who he described as being “free and unbridled” and was seen swimming in
Portmarnock Community Centre with children.
Monsignor Stenson sent a
holding letter to him and then wrote to Archbishop Ryan for advice on how to
deal with the letter from the parent.
Monsignor Stenson pointed out to
Archbishop Ryan that he was “not au fait” with Fr Carney‟s progress or
treatment. He was not happy that the parent was setting himself up as “a
moral watchdog on this priest‟s future activities and appointments” and did not
think he had a right to be kept informed of “ensuing events”. This neatly
encapsulates the Church‟s attitude to lay members during this period. In
evidence to the Commission, Monsignor Stenson said he regretted the tone
of this letter but he thought that the initial complaint had been reasonably well
handled and he had written to this parent in December 1983. Monsignor
Stenson also asked the Archbishop what person was monitoring Fr Carney's
present involvement with youth and whether Fr Carney was still swimming
with children.
28.75
In August, the Archbishop‟s secretary asked Monsignor Stenson to
see Fr Carney and discuss the allegations made in the letter from the parent.
Monsignor Stenson did so immediately and reported as follows:
“I contacted Fr. Carney at the Marists and asked if he would come and
see me. He could not come at 2.30 as he had to see Dr. Cooney. I
suggested 3.45 and it was agreed. Within a short time he was back on the
'phone indicating that he had cancelled Dr. Cooney and would come to
see me immediately. I impressed on him the importance of seeing Dr.
Cooney and that our meeting would follow on that.
When he arrived at 3.45 he indicated that he had been to Dr. Cooney and
was seeing him twice weekly? I explained that a letter had been received
and read it for him but did not reveal where [the parent who had
complained] was now living. Fr. Carney admitted that he had been
swimming in Portmarnock with a man and his two children - one of whom
is Fr. Carney's godchild. This is a different godchild to the one involved in
the earlier allegations. He also admitted that he had visited one or two
433
places in Ayrfield. He indicated that he was involved in the Summer
Project in Clonskeagh and went swimming with children from there. He
was categorical in stating that no untoward incidents had occurred and
that he had been "on the dry" since 11th December (with the exception of
Christmas Day - 2 drinks), and now saw things far more clearly. With
regard to the original allegations in Ayrfield he conceded that "one"
incident" may have occurred in the past but if it did he was drunk and
could not remember it. He only pleaded 'guilty' in the Court case on legal
advice and to avoid embarrassment for the Diocese.
I made it clear that my sole purpose in having a word with him was to offer
advice - to be prudent in his pastoral and recreational activity. Given the
fact that [the parent who was complaining] could or would hear of Fr.
Carney's continued involvement with young boys, he could make life very
difficult for him if he went public and even if the charges were without
foundation. I suggested that for everyone's sake - not least his own - it
would be wise for Fr. Carney to steer clear of this type of activity and
preclude this possibility. He didn' t quite see the point I was making and
countered it by saying "nothing had happened". When I tried to repeat the
point he concluded that he would not be allowed have involvement with
the Primary School in Clonskeagh nor have Altar Boys for his Mass etc.
I pointed out that he owed it to himself not to allow even the suspicion of
allegations be made in his regard, and that there was ample scope for his
Priestly Ministry even if he avoided specific concentration on young
children. He believes that he has a 'gift' - a way with them.
He is not pleased that he is living in the Marist house and would prefer his
own flat etc. Again I suggested that that decision may have been with a
view to helping him - by eliminating the possibility of allegations in his
regard. The fact that he has not a permanent appointment also rankles
with him.
All in all I think the meeting was helpful and reasonably satisfactory. Bill
doesn't see the problem as others see it. He has his own perception and
little or no grasp of how others might see his situation. While not drinking,
it would seem he still goes in with the lads and they, not he, have a 'few
434
jars'. "Imprudence" would best sum up the picture. He attributes all his
earlier failings among which he listed, dipping into Church funds etc. as
due to his drinking problem. Now that this has been identified, and he is
being treated for it, he believes all the other problem areas have been
eliminated.
Whether he will curtail his activity as a result of our meeting I do not know.
He is clear that I was only offering advice which, given his circumstances
and the recent letter, might be useful for him”.
28.76
In September 1984, Fr Carney said he had been asked to help at a
children‟s holiday home.
Monsignor Browne told him to check with the
Archbishop. Bishop Joseph Carroll (who was in charge of the diocese as
Archbishop Ryan had resigned on 1 September 1984) told him to cancel any
arrangements with the holiday home and to keep to the terms of his
appointment in Clonskeagh.
Fr Carney‟s situation was discussed by the
auxiliary bishops and it was decided that he should remain in his temporary
appointment in Clonskeagh.
28.77
In October, the Archdiocese was informed that Fr Carney rarely
stayed at the Marist house. Monsignor Browne wanted a review of his case.
He reported that Fr Carney was saying mass in Malahide; Fr Carney told him
that he was attending AA regularly and was secretary to the AA group in the
Raheny/Baldoyle area. In November, Bishop Kavanagh met Fr Carney and
told him that his behaviour was unsatisfactory; his present appointment was
to continue for three months‟ probation and he was to report regularly to his
medical adviser.
1985
28.78
In January 1985, Fr Carney was interviewed by Monsignor Stenson
and Bishops Carroll and Kavanagh.
They were appointed by Archbishop
Kevin McNamara to look into the various new allegations against Fr Carney.
(Archbishop McNamara had become Archbishop on 20 January 1985.)
Among other things, there were suggestions that he was frequently in the
company of an 18 year old late at night and there was a mention of “possible
charges as a result of information made available to the Rape Crisis Centre.
The precise details and the source of this information were not clear”.
435
Fr
Carney refused to go to Stroud and mentioned the possibility of going to
Australia or challenging the allegations made concerning him. He was given
24 hours to consider the Stroud proposal.
28.79
Soon after this, Archbishop McNamara asked Monsignor Stenson to
investigate the possibility of withdrawing Fr Carney‟s faculties in order to put
pressure on him to reconsider his position and to accept the offer of help in
Stroud or elsewhere.
28.80
About two weeks later (not within the 24 hours specified), Fr Carney
wrote to Bishop Carroll saying that all his problems were due to alcohol and
that he needed a new diocesan appointment. This is one of many long selfserving letters full of religious sentiment which Fr Carney wrote. It shows that
he was then living in Baldoyle, even though his orders were to stay with the
Marists and away from the northside.
28.81
The bishops and Monsignor Stenson decided to get a full report from
Dr Cooney. It seems that this report was provided orally to one of the bishops
(probably Bishop Kavanagh) so its contents are not known but it would
appear that residential treatment was recommended.
There was further
communication between Fr Carney and Monsignor Stenson in which it
became obvious that Fr Carney was not recognising his problem and was
prevaricating. Among other things, Fr Carney said that he was attending a
counsellor and that the counsellor thought his problems were due to alcohol:
“she did not believe, no more than I do, that I have any problem in this sexual
area”.
Monsignor Stenson saw Fr Carney in Clonliffe College.
He was
accompanied by a youth. Eventually, in late March, Fr Carney informed the
diocese that he would not go to Stroud – nearly three months after he had
been given 24 hours to make a decision. Two weeks later, Bishops Carroll
and Kavanagh met Fr Carney and made it clear to him that there was no
place for him in the diocese but it was still possible for him to go to Stroud.
He refused to go to Stroud saying: "I do not believe it is what God wants me
to do" and "I would be afraid of drinking again. I know A.A. will improve me".
Subsequently, he also refused to go to another therapeutic facility in the UK.
28.82
On 19 April 1985, Archbishop McNamara wrote to Fr Carney informing
him that he was withdrawing his diocesan faculties.
436
Fr Carney was now
effectively suspended but there did not seem to be anyone checking on what
he was doing or where he was living. There is no evidence that other priests
were informed of his changed status.
28.83
In July 1985, the parent who had earlier complained of not being
informed of developments wrote to point out that he had suffered financial
loss because he had had to move house. This letter was acknowledged but
no further action was taken.
28.84
Fr Carney and his solicitor continued to write to the Archbishop looking
for his re-instatement.
In September, Archbishop McNamara offered Fr
Carney the option of going to Belmont Park Hospital, Waterford under the
care of Dr Lane O‟Kelly.
This was a psychiatric hospital which provided
treatment for alcohol problems. (It closed in 1992). There is no evidence that
it had any expertise in child sexual abuse. Fr Carney accepted this offer. Dr
Lane O‟Kelly was told (in September) that he should contact Dr Cooney to get
the background but it is not clear that Dr Cooney knew the full background.
There is no evidence that the people who did know the full background
actually briefed Dr Lane O‟Kelly at this stage. There is a record from the files
in Archbishop‟s House that he was briefed when he visited there in late
November. Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that he provided full
information about Fr Carney‟s background to Dr Lane O‟Kelly in November
1985. It is clear that the programme Dr Lane O‟Kelly was implementing was
for alcoholism even though Fr Carney himself claimed, and others seemed to
believe, that he had not been drinking for two years. Monsignor Stenson
accepts that alcoholism “was the focus and, with hindsight, I would say that
was a mistake”.
28.85
Fr Carney was in the hospital for a very short time when he started
scheming to be allowed out at weekends. It is clear that he was a less than
enthusiastic participant in his treatment. In November, he discharged himself
from the hospital and wrote a long letter to the Archbishop seeking
clarification about his continuance in hospital and his prospects of operating
as a priest again. The Archbishop made it clear that he was to return to the
hospital and follow the doctor‟s orders. Dr Lane O‟Kelly came to Archbishop‟s
House to meet the Archbishop and Monsignor Stenson and to report on Fr
Carney‟s progress. He wanted Fr Carney to spend more time in hospital, with
437
the possibility of a return to ministry in the new year. This would be “in a
controlled situation” and subject to “careful monitoring”.
28.86
In December Fr Carney was allowed to say mass but did not yet have
all his faculties restored.
1986
28.87
In January 1986, Fr Carney was released from hospital on a trial
basis. Dr Lane O‟Kelly suggested an appointment south of the Liffey in order
to facilitate his visits to the Waterford hospital. His faculties were restored on
condition that he continue to attend Dr Lane O‟Kelly at monthly intervals and
that he avoid those areas particularly on the north side of the city, for
example, Ayrfield and Donoghmede parishes and Portmarnock Leisure
Centre, where his presence “might give rise to unfavourable comment on the
Church”. Fr Carney was appointed to the parish of Clogher Road. The parish
priest, Fr James Kelly, issued a strong letter of protest. The letter refers to
earlier experiences in this and a neighbouring parish and argues that he
should have been consulted. It seems that Fr Kelly was aware of the nature
of the problem but this is not explicit.
Monsignor Stenson told the
Commission that he discovered at a later stage that Fr Kelly had not been as
well briefed as he (Monsignor Stenson) had thought at the time.
Monsignor
Stenson also told the Commission that he was “horrified” when he heard of
the appointment; he himself had no involvement in appointments. This parish
had already had a number of problem priests –
and there was another priest who had a
different problem - and Fr Carney would be living alone.
28.88
During the year, Dr Lane O„Kelly reported to the Archdiocese that he
was satisfied with Fr Carney‟s progress and attendance at the hospital. The
Archbishop continued to remind Fr Carney that the appointment was
temporary and was conditional on good reports.
1987
28.89
In February 1987, the parent who had reported financial problems
wrote with information about proceedings for the recovery of possession of
his house because he was in default with his payments. He was clearly very
angry with the Church. His letter was acknowledged but nothing further was
438
done. Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that his reply was “curt” and
he did not think much of it as a priest but he was concerned about the
possible liability of the Church.
28.90
In November 1987, Monsignor Stenson noted in a memorandum that
Bishop Desmond Williams told him that he (Bishop Williams) had been
contacted by someone from the health board who was aware of Fr Carney‟s
record in relation to children and who was concerned that he was back in
ministry. Monsignor Stenson said that Bishop Williams did not tell him who
this person was. A number of social workers who were working for the health
board at the time told the Commission that they were not aware that Fr
Carney had pleaded guilty to indecent assault and, in fact, did not become so
aware until this Commission was established and they were preparing to give
evidence.
The Commission accepts that the social workers were not aware
of the guilty plea but it has no reason to doubt that Bishop Williams was
contacted by someone in the health board. Clearly, someone in the health
board who was in a position to approach Bishop Williams was aware and did
not inform his/her colleagues.
Monsignor Stenson met Fr Carney and
advised him that, given his past record, it was vital that he should not leave
himself open to accusations of any kind, least of all from people who might be
hostile to him.
Fr Carney accepted this reluctantly.
At this meeting, Fr
Carney admitted that he had not attended the hospital for about a year.
Monsignor Stenson said: “We thought that he had been attending Belmont
Park on a regular basis but, in fact, he had not”.
There was no one
specifically mandated to check on this.
28.91
In December 1987, a boy who had been in care in St Joseph‟s told his
foster parents that he had been abused by Fr Carney. The parents reported
this to their local priest who reported to the Archdiocese and to a social
worker. The social worker heard from a nun in the home that there were
concerns about former residents who were staying with Fr Carney in Clogher
Road. The boy was now aged 16 and he was adamant he did not want to
report to the Gardaí.
1988
28.92
The priest to whom the allegation by the former resident of St
Joseph‟s was reported and Monsignor Stenson established the following:
439
Fr Carney lived on his own in Clogher Road.
Children frequented the house and some children had stayed
overnight; a former resident of a care home was currently living
there and another former resident used to live there.
Fr Carney took local children swimming and organised regular
outings for children; he was working with the boy scouts.
He had developed very familiar relationships with a small number
of families that had problems and had no father figure, and had
holidayed with these families.
There was “an awareness locally” of his history.
28.93
The priest to whom the allegation was made expressed concerns that
the local priests in Clogher Road had not been consulted when Fr Carney
was sent there and that there was no support from the diocese for local
priests. He pointed out that “there seems to be nobody responsible” and that
the parish priest was under pressure.
28.94
Monsignor Stenson concluded:
“With hindsight it would appear that:
i)
the appointment to Clogher Road was a mistake - there was a
previous history of this problem there;
ii)
residential accommodation on his own is not in Bill's best interest;
iii)
the 'monitoring' has not been as tight as it might have been. Fr.
Kelly was hearing nothing from Archbishop's House and we were
hearing nothing from him. The other priests in the Parish were
aware of some problem but they never discussed it together;
iv)
There was no 'ongoing' monitoring of medical reports - Bill in fact
stopped seeing Dr. Lane when he considered he was no longer in
need of him. We were unaware of this;
v)
In the light of the above it would be helpful if all Departments coordinated information in respect of such cases. This happened
with the
file. But I gather from [the priest to whom
the complaint of the boy from St Joseph‟s was reported] that
Father Kelly had written of his concerns to Archbishop's House at
some stage. Is this true? I have no record of it”.
440
28.95
It seems that nobody had told Fr Carney to stay away from children.
28.96
The health board offered counselling to the complainant from St
Joseph‟s. There is no evidence that it followed up on any children who were
in care at the time this abuse occurred or that it checked its own records to
see if further information was available on other children. If it had, what were
perceived at the time as concerns about crushes and inappropriate
expectations would have been seen in a more sinister light. St Joseph‟s was
closed at this stage.
28.97
care.
The bishops decided to remove Fr Carney and provide residential
Bishop Williams felt that Fr Carney‟s behaviour was inappropriate but
did not yet merit a penalty, for example, suspension. They also decided that
the priest to whom the allegations were made should be told that something
was being done about his representations.
Nobody reported back to the
foster parents.
28.98
It is not clear that the allegation of sexual abuse of the boy from St
Joseph‟s was ever put to Fr Carney. The other allegations about his activities
in Clogher Road were put to him and he accepted that they were true but he
was annoyed that what would be acceptable for other priests should be
unacceptable from him. He “reacted badly” when told he was being removed.
Subsequently his solicitor contacted Bishop Kavanagh requesting details of
the complaints which had been made and asking for a meeting. Monsignor
Stenson met the solicitor who told him that Fr Carney found the proposal to
leave Clogher Road and obtain psychological assessment unacceptable.
28.99
In April 1988, about a month after he was consecrated as Archbishop
of Dublin, Archbishop Desmond Connell met Fr Carney. The Archbishop told
Fr Carney that he would be allowed to continue in Clogher Road, on a
temporary basis, under certain conditions. These included seeing a Dublin
based psychologist, being discreet in his behaviour and not having young
people stay overnight. Monsignor Stenson raised the matters of monitoring
and having some priest live with Fr Carney but these do not seem to have
been addressed.
441
28.100
One of the parents from Ayrfield approached Fr Carney. He was very
upset about the damage done to his son and spoke in terms of seeking
compensation or writing to the papers. Fr Carney told Monsignor Stenson
and his solicitor about this.
Fr Carney was negotiating about his future
directly with the bishops and indirectly through his solicitor. He wrote long
pleading letters to the Archbishop.
28.101
In October 1988, Archbishop Connell met Fr Carney again. Fr Carney
told the Archbishop that incidents were occurring in Clogher Road which were
drawing attention to him and he wanted to discuss them. He said he took
separated wives to Kerry. He felt that he could help some who had alcoholic
problems. One of these women had children. Her husband had learned of Fr
Carney‟s background and was anxious about the possible implications for the
children. Fr Carney, on hearing of this, spoke to the woman in question and
told her that he would not be able to continue the counselling arrangement
that had existed between them.
He also spoke of an incident that had
occurred in the yard of the girls' school. The caretaker had said that he had
observed an incident taking place between Fr Carney and a group of girls and
had spoken to some people of this. Fr Carney said that a teacher in the
school was also observing and would back him (Fr Carney) by saying that
there was nothing wrong in what happened and the caretaker was wrong in
his claims. Fr Carney took a group of the girls bowling on occasion. The
Archbishop advised him against this in the future and Fr Carney agreed.
1989
28.102
In February 1989, Fr Carney called to see the Archbishop and
informed him that the father of one of the girls in a group with which he was
involved told him that he did not want Fr Carney near his daughters.
Fr
Carney assured the Archbishop that he had "done nothing" to this man's
daughter. The Archbishop recommended that he tell the parish priest about
this and that he continue working with the group for the rest of the year but
remove himself from it after that.
28.103
In August, the parish priest reported that Fr Carney had been taking
boys swimming but not alone. The parish priest thought a change for Fr
Carney would be a good idea.
442
28.104
In August, parents from Ayrfield contacted Bishop O‟Mahony. They
were concerned about their sons and about Fr Carney‟s access to children.
The mother was looking for pastoral and spiritual help as her husband and
sons had stopped practicing their religion. Bishop O‟Mahony reported this to
Archbishop Connell. Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that Archbishop
Connell was “shocked and upset”. Bishop O‟Mahony believes that this was
the first time that Archbishop Connell “became fully aware of the serious
spiritual harm inflicted on children and young people through clerical sex
abuse”. This, according to Bishop O‟Mahony, prompted Archbishop Connell
to review Fr Carney‟s position and impose more restrictive conditions on any
future appointments. Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he rang the
mother a few times after this. He did not meet the boys as they did not want
to meet him.
28.105
Monsignor Stenson told the Church penal process that it was well
known in Ayrfield parish that Fr Carney had problems and there were rumours
about his behaviour. He had been seen in the local golf club and he had a
young boy caddying for him. This was corroborated by two priests who said it
was a constant feature of Fr Carney‟s pattern of behaviour at the golf club.
28.106
Archbishop Connell decided that Fr Carney should be moved and
have more stringent conditions attached to his appointment.
Monsignor
Stenson and Bishop Kavanagh met Fr Carney and told him he was to be
removed from Clogher Road, be moved to a shared ministry and was to
continue to see the psychologist.
Fr Carney regarded this as another
proposal. He told them he was going on holidays with women and children.
28.107
The psychologist was asked for a report. He reported that he had
seen Fr Carney on four occasions in the period March – May 1988. He said
that Fr Carney showed no evidence of psychopathology.
Again, it is not
clear what the psychologist knew about Fr Carney because the report does
not once mention child sexual abuse.
It outlines various good and bad
aspects of Fr Carney‟s personality and points out that he would deviate
considerably from the Church‟s teaching on moral issues. He is “still seeing a
married woman and a single girl”. The report states that he did not engage in
sexual intercourse with them but did feel free to indulge in a “kiss and a
cuddle”.
It should be noted that Fr Carney had not actually attended this
443
psychologist since May 1988 and seems to have been assessed but not
treated by him. It is clear that nobody in authority in the Archdiocese knew
what Fr Carney‟s interaction with the psychologist was for almost a year and
a half after he was referred.
28.108
In late August 1989, a young woman who had been a resident in The
Grange complained to Monsignor Stenson that she had been abused by Fr
Carney while in the care home and subsequently. She alleged that he was
the father of her recently born child. She was aware that Fr Carney now had
a young boy staying with him and she was concerned about his welfare.
Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that this was the first time he had
met an alleged victim of Fr Carney. He believed what she was telling him and
he was horrified by what Fr Carney had done. Monsignor Stenson told the
Commission that he virtually always believed the complainants even though
he did not regard it as appropriate to his role to make them aware of that. His
task was to record their stories. When confronted by Monsignor Stenson, Fr
Carney accepted that he could be the father of the child. Fr Carney wrote to
the Archbishop to apologise but said he had since made his peace with God.
28.109
Archbishop Connell told Fr Carney to leave Clogher Road by 30
September and go to live in a diocesan house in Cappaghmore (Clondalkin).
Fr Carney, as usual, regarded this as negotiable.
He looked for, and got,
more time so that he could say goodbye to his old and ill parishioners on the
First Friday. This extension was granted, with certain conditions.
On 5
October, the Archbishop wrote to Fr Carney and told him to go to
Cappaghmore. Although he was asked not to do so, Fr Carney made this
public during a mass in Clogher Road shortly before he left, indicating that he
was giving his blessing for the last time. This led to a number of letters from
parishioners saying that it was most unfair that he should be going as he was
a wonderful priest.
28.110
Fr Carney told the Archdiocese that the young woman had made a
statement saying that matters had been resolved between herself and Fr
Carney (this was clearly not so as subsequent events showed). Fr Carney
then wrote to the Archbishop saying that the “agreement is done”, there is no
possibility of scandal so his position should be reconsidered.
444
28.111
The young woman told the social worker with whom she had been
dealing while she was in the institutions that she had been abused as a child
by Fr Carney. The social worker told the Commission that, while she had not
suspected sexual abuse at the time, the revelation did not surprise her. The
social worker accompanied the young woman to the Garda station to make a
complaint. The social worker notified her superiors in accordance with the
normal reporting mechanisms. She offered counselling and gave ongoing
support to the young woman. The Grange had been closed at this stage.
28.112
In October 1989, Monsignor Stenson wrote to Fr Carney stating that,
given his stated preference to stay in the priesthood, the Archbishop and
Auxiliary Bishops were asking him to consider living out his priestly life in a
monastic setting or, if this were not acceptable and given the impossibility of
appointing him to pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese, to consider retraining
for the lay state. While his faculties were not formally removed, Fr Carney
had no diocesan appointment. He was getting a monthly allowance of £500.
He engaged in lengthy exchanges with Monsignor Stenson about the support
he would get if laicised, the availability of a canon lawyer and the fact that he
prayed for Monsignor Stenson.
28.113
Meanwhile, the young woman was pursuing her claim for maintenance
of the child and the case went to court. Fr Carney wanted the Archdiocese to
pay for the blood test to establish if he was the father.
The blood tests
established that he was not, in fact, the father. The Gardaí sent their file to
the DPP but did not recommend prosecution.
1990
28.114
In February 1990, the Archbishop and Monsignor Stenson met Fr
Carney and the Archbishop told him that he was not prepared to give him a
diocesan appointment at that time or in the future. He asked him to consider
applying for laicisation and asked for a response by 1 March; the only
alternative open to him was for the Church to institute a penal process to
dismiss him from the clerical state. Fr Carney looked for an extension and
got one until Easter. There were numerous pleading letters but he was told
that the process would start in May 1990.
445
28.115
Meanwhile, it was discovered that Fr Carney was still going to Clogher
Road and he was instructed to cease this. The Archdiocese wanted him to
move out of Cappaghmore; he was offered money to pay for alternative
accommodation.
He was very reluctant to move out.
There was further
correspondence between Fr Carney and Monsignor Stenson.
Fr Carney
started work as a taxi driver and was looking for money to buy a taxi plate.
The Gardaí were investigating the allegations made by the young woman and
Monsignor Stenson provided the Gardaí with an address for Fr Carney.
28.116
The tribunal to hear the penal process was set up in December 1990.
Penal proceedings are described in Chapter 4.
1991
28.117
Fr Carney continued to write long self-serving letters looking to be
restored to ministry. He was still living in Cappaghmore. He eventually said
he would voluntarily seek laicisation. The Archdiocese decided not to bargain
and to await the outcome of the penal process.
28.118
The penal process continued during 1991. A number of complainants
and parents of complainants gave evidence. One complainant mentioned, in
the course of his evidence, that he was in a holiday caravan with Fr Carney
and there was another priest there with a boy. (In later civil proceedings, he
named this priest as Fr Francis McCarthy). He also mentioned other teenage
boys who were in Fr Carney‟s house in Ayrfield. Evidence was also given by
a nun from one of the institutions and by a social worker.
28.119
During the church penal process, the Director of Psychological
Services for the Hospitaller Order of St John of God was asked to study the
file of evidence that was being presented to the Church court. He did not see
Fr Carney nor did he see the previous psychological and psychiatric reports.
He stated that once a pattern of paedophile activity was established it did not
depend on alcohol for its expression. He identified Fr Carney as having a
serious personality disorder the features of which are frequently associated
with paedophilia. He noted that he had consistently denied the extent of his
problems and the seriousness of his actions.
Given the above
characteristics, he believed that Fr Carney must be diagnosed as having a
psychopathic personality disorder and was homosexually paedophile.
446
As
such, the prognosis for Fr Carney was very poor and it was the psychologist‟s
view that he should not be given any status as a representative of the Church.
He noted the arguments advanced in some quarters that paedophilia was a
psychiatric disorder and included compulsive behaviour over which the
sufferer had no control and could therefore plead insanity or diminished
responsibility. His own view was that if society took such behaviour as Fr
Carney‟s as meriting a judgment of insanity or diminished responsibility in
circumstances where the perpetrator showed foresight and knowledge there
would be no basis for moral or legal behaviour in society.
1992
28.120
Fr Carney himself did not participate in the church penal process but
was represented by a canon lawyer. The penal process was completed and,
on 9 March 1992, Fr Carney was dismissed from the clerical state. The
judgment of the tribunal was unequivocal.
Fr Carney was guilty of child
sexual abuse and there was no basis for mitigating the penalty.
The
members of the tribunal were very clear about the damage caused by Fr
Carney to the victims, his denial of wrongdoing, his total absence of remorse,
the enduring and habitual nature of his offences and his failure to abide by the
instructions of his superiors.
28.121
The judgment did not refer at all to the evidence given by one
complainant about the presence of another priest in a caravan where this
complainant was abused. This matter was not followed up by anyone in
authority (see Chapter 41).
28.122
In June 1992, the judges of the tribunal wrote to Archbishop Connell
with comments about the handling of the case. Their letter shows that they
had a good understanding of the issues involved but they did not mention the
risk posed by the other priest. They pointed out that “Paedophilia is a very
special kind of deviancy and requires special vigilance”.
They then went on
to make the following points:
“In the Carney case we feel that a penal process should have been
initiated earlier than was done in this case. The accused in that case
accepted treatment for his alcoholism but refused to go to Stroud to
get treatment specific to his complaint. Like Alcoholism there is no
hope of cure for the paedophile unless he comes to terms with his
447
complaint. To this day the accused has refused (despite a civil court
case and much other evidence) to admit that he suffers from this
paraphilia. Treatment for concomitant alcoholism is not a substitute for
a recognition of and specific treatment for paedophilia. Even with
special treatment the prognosis for the paedophile is generally rather
bleak. A refusal to undergo such special treatment should be taken as
proof of contumacy.
When a priest like the accused is committed to a prudent parish priest
for a period of trial it is important that the parish priest be made aware
of the reason why the accused is committed to his care. This is more
important in cases of paedophilia than, perhaps, any other. It seems
that the parish priests to whom the accused was committed had no
inkling of the precise reason as to why he was there. Paedophilia can
wear a deceptive mask. Parishioners are easily fooled by the interest
a priest shows in their children. Children are unable to tell their
parents. There is abundant evidence of this in the present case. A
Parish priest may easily suspect drink, or a liaison with a woman when
a fellow priest is committed to his corrective care. He is less likely to
suspect paedophilia. Again, it disguises itself as an interest in the altar
boys or the youth of the parish. It is only when irreparable damage
has been done that the parish priest realizes.
In the recent case it seems that monitoring of the accused was not
helped by the fact that he had a house all to himself in Clogher Road,
and again in Clondalkin. The evidence shows that he used these
houses as he had used the house in Ayrfield. It is true that this was
praeter intentionem”95.
28.123
Mr Carney‟s monthly allowance was stopped in April 1992.
The
Archdiocese was still trying to get him to leave the house in Cappaghmore.
There were discussions between Mr Carney and Monsignor Stenson and
then between Mr Carney and Monsignor Wilson about financial matters. It
seemed as if a settlement was reached in November 1992.
95
Praeter intentionem literally means beyond the intention; it is a philosophical term used to
distinguish between an intended consequence and an unintended consequence.
448
1993 to date
28.124
There were further financial negotiations between the Archdiocese
and Mr Carney.
Mr Carney was, as described by Monsignor Wilson,
constantly changing the goalposts. He eventually left the house in January
1994 – about four years after he was first asked to leave. He received a lump
sum of £30,000 from the Archdiocese.
28.125
In July 1994, the two complainants in respect of whom Fr Carney had
pleaded guilty sued the Archdiocese.
The young woman also started
proceedings. Her story began to appear in the newspapers and coverage
continued throughout 1995.
28.126
Another complainant came forward in December 1994. Archbishop
Connell and Monsignor Stenson met him in February 1995 and apologised to
him. He was offered counselling. A number of other people made complaints
in 1995. One complainant alleged that he was abused by both Fr Carney and
Fr Francis McCarthy – see Chapter 41. He also complained to the Gardaí.
The young man who had been in St Josephs‟s complained to the Gardaí and
started civil proceedings.
Monsignor Stenson made a statement to the
Gardaí about his involvement with this case.
Other complainants came
forward in subsequent years. They were met by the chancellor and/or by the
delegates. The procedures set out in the Framework Document were being
followed.
28.127
In 1998, steps were taken to contact affected families in Ayrfield. The
Archdiocesan records suggest that the parish priest visited one family and got
a “cold reception”. This family told the Commission that they were not visited
at that time.
Archbishop Connell was particularly anxious to contact the
family who had had to leave Ayrfield and had suffered financially as a result.
Contact was eventually made after a series of errors about addresses. The
delegate tried to keep in contact with a number of the complainants. Further
complainants continued to come forward.
It is likely that some made
complaints to the Residential Institutions Redress Board.96 There was no
further prosecution mainly because the DPP took the view that the delay in
96
The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established under the Residential Institutions
Redress Act 2002 to award redress to people who had been abused in children‟s homes. The
proceedings of the board are entirely confidential.
449
making the complaints was too great. A family told the Commission that one
complainant had committed suicide.
28.128
Archbishop Martin met a number of the complainants after he was
appointed as Archbishop and they generally found him sympathetic. The
Child Protection Service continues to be in contact with those who want that
contact.
28.129
Mr Carney had been a taxi driver for a time after his laicisation. By a
remarkable coincidence, one of the complainants actually got into his taxi
inadvertently. Mr Carney seems to have left Ireland sometime in the mid
1990s. He was known to be living in Scotland but his current whereabouts
are not known.
The Commission’s assessment
Archdiocese
28.130
The handling by the Archdiocese of the large number of allegations
and suspicions in relation to Fr Carney is nothing short of catastrophic. The
Archdiocese, in its handling of the case, was inept, self-serving and, for the
best part of ten years, displayed no obvious concern for the welfare of
children. This had appalling consequences for all the complainants and their
families, not least for those people who were abused after the Church had
knowledge of Fr Carney‟s extensive history of abuse as, with appropriate
handling, their abuse could possibly have been prevented.
28.131
In evidence to the Commission, a number of senior churchmen
acknowledged that this case was very badly handled. Monsignor Stenson
said that Fr Carney should not have been ordained. He went on to say that
when problems arose “the nettle should have been grabbed much quicker
and, if he didn‟t resign from the priesthood, he should have been thrown out
much sooner”. He said the case was handled very poorly and with a lack of
decisiveness. The Commission agrees.
28.132
There is a consistent pattern of failure by the Church authorities to
address the problem of Fr Carney. Several people who knew Fr Carney
testified that he was crude, loutish and constantly used foul language. This,
450
of course, is not a crime but it is surprising that the issue was not addressed
by his superiors while he was in the seminary or subsequently.
28.133
It is astonishing that Fr Carney‟s suggestion that he foster children
was even considered in view of the Church‟s stated position in respect of
priests having any family responsibilities, yet it seems he may have been
encouraged by Bishop Kavanagh.
28.134
Fr Carney‟s ease of access to, and his degree of involvement with
children in care was extraordinary. He was able to take children to his home
for weekends whenever he wanted and this was encouraged by the
authorities. While it may be understandable that the authorities in the homes
did not even contemplate the possibility of sexual abuse, there is no evidence
that anyone in authority asked basic questions relating to the care and safety
of children such as who was going to look after the children while he was
saying Sunday mass or if he had to leave the house at night to administer the
last rites. There is evidence that children were left alone at night.
28.135
There is no evidence of any attempt at serious management of Fr
Carney as the problems unfolded. There was no one in the Archdiocese who
was in charge of monitoring him. No one person had full knowledge of the
extent of the problem. It is clear that Monsignor Stenson was conscious of
this lack of management but he did not have the power to do anything about
it.
He told the Commission that different files were kept in the different
departments – a personnel file, a chancery file, a financial file - and the full
picture was not available to anyone dealing with it. This was done in the
interests of confidentiality. It became clear to him that “somebody had to
manage the case and have all the information, otherwise disastrous decisions
were going to happen and have happened”.
28.136
Even if the Church‟s main intention was to avoid scandal, the
complete lack of competence in handling Fr Carney is remarkable. There is
no doubt that Fr Carney was manipulative, not just in his abuse of children but
also in his dealings with his superiors.
His clear unambiguous refusal to
follow orders does not seem to have been addressed by the archdiocesan
authorities. He treated orders from his superiors as proposals for discussion
rather than as orders and he was allowed to get away with this.
451
28.137
The archdiocesan authorities either did not understand the threat
posed by Fr Carney to children generally or understood it but did not regard it
as a significant consideration.
28.138
The Commission considers that the Church authorities did not
exercise sufficient authority over Fr Carney.
It accepts that the Church
cannot restrict a priest‟s liberty in general but it can restrict his liberty to
exercise ministry. No attempt seems to have been made to deal with other,
less serious but unacceptable, aspects of Fr Carney‟s behaviour such as his
foul language, loutish behaviour and too frequent appearances on the golf
course.
28.139
It seems that the treatment for Fr Carney was focused largely on his
alcohol problem. In fact, he was sent to an alcohol treatment facility in Ireland
at a time when he said, and people seemed to believe, that he had not been
drinking for a year.
28.140
The refusal of Fr Ó Saorai to report the parents‟ complaints to
Archbishop‟s House is inexcusable. He knew of actual complaints of child
sexual abuse from parents, he believed the parents, he had heard other
rumours, he had received complaints of loutish behaviour by Fr Carney, yet
he reported to Archbishop‟s House only because money went missing.
However, it must be said that if he had reported when he should have, it is
unlikely that there would have been a criminal prosecution of Fr Carney.
28.141
It was suggested to the Commission that Bishop Kavanagh had a “soft
spot” for Fr Carney. He clearly did but the Commission does not think that
this in any way excuses the lengths to which he went to protect him. It
appears to the Commission that Bishop Kavanagh tried to prevent the
prosecution of Fr Carney and, when the prosecution went ahead, tried to
ensure that it was kept as quiet as possible. The Commission takes the view
that there is evidence that Bishop Kavanagh, in the words of its terms of
reference, did attempt to obstruct or interfere with the proper investigation of
the complaints.
452
28.142
No attempt was made by the Archdiocese to provide help or
counselling to the victims who were known and no attempt was made to
establish if there were any other victims. (The Archdiocese must have known
that there were likely to be other victims).
Health authorities
28.143
The question of how institutions cared for the children in their care has
been examined in depth by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Ryan
Commission). This Commission accepts that, in general, the authorities in
the children‟s homes did not suspect that Fr Carney was abusing the children
who were befriended by him. However, it is a matter of serious concern that
they allowed children stay with him without ensuring that there were
appropriate arrangements for their supervision.
28.144
The Commission also accepts that the health board social workers
who dealt with the children in the institutions did not suspect sexual abuse.
However, it is surprising that, in one case at least, a 14 year old girl‟s
obsession with him was not viewed in a more sinister light than merely a
crush or a fantasy.
28.145
There does not seem to have been any shared knowledge in the
health board about perpetrators. For example, when the case of the young
woman from the children‟s home was being dealt with in 1989, one section of
the health board did not know that Fr Carney was known to another section
as an abuser of the young man from another children‟s home, so no pattern
of abuse in the institutions was recognised.
28.146
It is acknowledged that there was no statutory duty on health boards
to promote the welfare of all children at that stage (see Chapter 6) but,
nevertheless it is surprising to the Commission that no attempts were made to
contact other residents in the children‟s homes in which these two
complainants had lived.
The Gardaí
28.147
The Commission was impressed by the efficiency and speed with
which Garda Finbarr Garland investigated the complaints from the young
boys in Ayrfield in 1983 and the manner in which he and his immediate
453
superior officers pursued the prosecution of Fr Carney.
However, the
Commission considers that Chief Superintendent O‟Connor had inappropriate
dealings with Bishop Kavanagh.
28.148
It appears that Bishop Kavanagh tried to influence the conduct of the
investigation and clearly did his best to ensure that there would be no
publicity. His attempts to influence the process were unsuccessful because
the lower ranking Gardaí had done their job properly.
Superintendent
O‟Connor
cannot
take
any
credit
However, Chief
for
this.
Chief
Superintendent O‟Connor‟s description of how Bishop Kavanagh dropped into
his office regularly for a chat does not seem plausible.
Communication between authorities
28.149
Neither the Church nor the Garda authorities made any effort to
ensure that relevant people were made aware of the danger which Fr Carney
posed to children. The health board social workers in the area where the
offences occurred or in the areas to which Fr Carney was subsequently sent
were not told.
454
Chapter 29
Fr Tom Naughton
Introduction
29.1
Fr Naughton was ordained in 1963 for St Patrick‟s Missionary Society,
Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow (commonly known as the Kiltegan Fathers) and after
his ordination he spent time in Africa and the West Indies. He left the West
Indies following a disagreement with another teacher and the bishop and
sought a position in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
29.2
He was first appointed to Aughrim Street parish in April 1976 and then
to Valleymount parish in 1980. While working there, he was incardinated (see
Chapter 3) into the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1981.
29.3
The Commission is aware of complaints of child sexual abuse against
Fr Naughton by more than 20 named people. There are suspicions in respect
of many more. He has twice been convicted of child sexual abuse.
Valleymount
29.4
In 1983, two parishioners from Valleymount expressed concerns to
Bishop Donal Murray about Fr Naughton‟s behaviour. They claimed he was
“too close to the altar boys”. Bishop Murray told the Commission that the two
men wanted Fr Naughton removed from the parish. He said that the men
refused to be specific with him and that they were not suggesting that there
was anything wrong going on. The bishop told the Commission that he was
uneasy and was afraid that it could involve inappropriate or even abusive
activity with children. The parish priest at the time investigated the complaints
and concluded that they were unfounded.
29.5
The type of investigation carried out is not chronicled in the files and
would appear to have been totally inadequate even by the standards of the
time.
It can be compared unfavourably with the excellent investigations
carried out in 1977 by Canon Ardle McMahon into complaints
and in 1983 by Canon McMahon and Monsignor Stenson in the Fr Bill Carney
case (see Chapter 28).
Bishop Murray considers that this comparison is
unfair as there was no specific complaint of child sexual abuse in
Valleymount.
455
29.6
Bishop Murray did interview Fr Naughton about the behaviour but he
denied any wrongdoing. Bishop Murray said he told Archbishop Ryan of the
allegations. The Commission accepts that he did tell Archbishop Ryan even
though there is no contemporaneous record of this on the files. Monsignor
Stenson was under the impression that Archbishop Ryan had been informed.
29.7
In a statement to Gardaí in 2003 another parishioner stated that she
had been informed in 1983 by two children that they had been abused by Fr
Naughton.
She said she had told the parish priest of the abuse on two
separate occasions and in response he had told her “to pray for the victims”.
She stated that she and her husband approached another priest who took
their complaints seriously. That priest‟s recollection was that he reported the
matter to an auxiliary bishop. He thought it was Bishop Murray but Bishop
Murray denies that it was he. The parishioner stated that she also tried to talk
to Bishop Murray when she was attending a confirmation service in 1984 but
that “he dismissed me and pretended he didn‟t hear me, and walked away”.
There was no record of these complaints on the files of the Archdiocese until
the mid 1990s. Bishop Murray told the Commission that he does recall a
woman speaking to him after confirmation but said it was about Fr Naughton‟s
difficult attitude and that sexual assault was not mentioned. The Commission
considers that Bishop Murray should have pursued the matter with the
woman since he was already aware that there were some problems with Fr
Naughton.
29.8
In April 1984, Bishop Murray also received a letter from another
parishioner proposing an investigation into “a less than satisfactory situation”
in the parish. Bishop Murray told the Commission that this letter referred to
financial matters.
29.9
Within six weeks Fr Naughton was transferred to Donnycarney parish.
29.10
At least four complainants have come forward from Valleymount but it
is suspected that many more children were abused. As recently as February
2006, the local parish priest, a different person to the parish priest who was
there in 1983, sought information on counselling services for those who had
been affected by Fr Naughton‟s behaviour. He expressed the opinion that
there might be a lot more people in the parish who may have been abused
456
but who had not come forward.
He put the number at between ten and
twelve. He was encouraged by the Archdiocese‟s Child Protection Service to
try and persuade anyone who might have been affected to come forward.
29.11
In June 2009, just as this report was being finalised, Fr Naughton
pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault in relation to a complainant from
Valleymount.
29.12
In a statement regarding the Valleymount situation, issued in 2002,
Bishop Murray stated that he was very aware that if he had derived “more
information from the various interviews I conducted, it might have been
possible to prevent some of the dreadful suffering of child abuse. I very much
wish that I had been able to do so. It is a matter of the greatest regret to me
that I did not manage at that time to get to the root of the problem”.
No
attempt was made by Bishop Murray to revisit these concerns even after he
became aware of Fr Naughton‟s abusive behaviour in Donnycarney and
Ringsend (see below). Bishop Murray told the Commission that, when the
Donnycarney complaint was raised at an Auxiliary Bishops‟ meeting with
Archbishop McNamara in November 1985, he mentioned the concerns of the
two men who had approached him in Valleymount. At this stage the concerns
about Valleymount were known to two Archbishops and several auxiliary
bishops and none of these men thought of revisiting the issue.
Donnycarney, 1984-1986
29.13
One of the more serious sexual assaults committed by Fr Naughton
was against an 11 year old altar boy from Donnycarney Parish, Mervyn
Rundle. The assaults took place on a number of occasions in 1984/85. The
young boy told his mother about the assaults.
29.14
The Rundle family sought the help of a family friend and in November
1985 they (Mervyn, his father and the family friend) met the chancellor,
Monsignor Stenson, at Archbishop‟s House.
Archbishop McNamara had
replaced Archbishop Ryan as Archbishop. At that stage the family, who were
a religious family, were not anxious to report to the Gardaí as they felt the
church would take steps to solve the problem.
The father told Monsignor
Stenson at that meeting that a number of other children might also have been
abused by Fr Naughton.
He named one other possible victim and said that
457
there might be five. Monsignor Stenson then interviewed Mervyn on his own.
Mervyn Rundle told the Commission that Monsignor Stenson questioned him
closely about his account and he found this an intimidating experience.
Meeting with Fr Naughton
29.15
The very next day, Monsignor Stenson met Fr Naughton who
categorically denied all the allegations against him. He stated that there may
have been an incident of horseplay which may have been misinterpreted and
that he had since apologised to the family for any misunderstanding. He did,
however, tell Monsignor Stenson about the fact that he had been confronted
by Bishop Murray in relation to an allegation. He said that the bishop had told
him that it was nothing to worry about and that “cranks97 often make
allegations”. He agreed with Monsignor Stenson to seek a transfer and gave
an undertaking that he would withdraw from his responsibilities for the altar
boys.
29.16
Ten days later Fr Naughton did admit to abusing Mervyn Rundle on
six different occasions but denied any other incidents of abuse. The reaction
of the Archdiocese was that he should take a break from the scene for a few
days at least. In a January 1986 memo, Monsignor Stenson indicated that Fr
Naughton had withdrawn from his involvement with the altar boys and was
happy to remain in Donnycarney “now that some of the dust has settled”.
Medical report
29.17
Fr Naughton was referred to a consultant psychiatrist in relation to the
abuse of Mervyn Rundle. The psychiatrist‟s conclusions were that the abuse
was a manifestation of Fr Naughton‟s overwhelming loneliness and was
merely a misguided attempt to establish a relationship. He contrasted it with
other cases that they (meaning himself and the Church authorities) had had in
the past where, unfortunately, there had been a long history of similar
episodes. He said he was basing his analysis on the view that this was a
once-off event and stated: “I take it you have no evidence to the contrary”.
29.18
He had not been informed that there might have been other children
involved in Donnycarney, nor was he informed that there were suspicions
about Fr Naughton while he was in Valleymount.
97
Fr Naughton‟s words
458
The Archdiocese should
have provided a full account to the psychiatrist in order to ensure that he
could issue a meaningful report. The Archbishop thanked him for his report
but did not address the fact that he, the Archbishop, did know that this was
not a once-off event.
29.19
In February 1986, Fr Naughton was still living in the parish and the
Rundle parents and their friend were annoyed by the lack of action and
threatened to take the matter to the Gardaí. Their friend wrote the following
letter to Monsignor Stenson. It clearly sets out how the matter had been
handled to date:
“Following our meeting in your office on Fri 29th Nov. 1985 and the
resulting lack of action it is now necessary to put details of the whole
matter on paper for the record.
On Nov. 29th 1985 at 10:15am a very serious charge of child abuse
was made against a priest in a Donnycarney parish. One case in
particular was brought to your attention, that of young Mervyn Rundle,
although there were others that were known of. Having given you a
copy of the notes I myself had made after talking to the child, I
arranged at your request to bring the child and his father to see you
that afternoon at 2:15pm. In the meantime you said you would consult
with the Archbishop who was in the house at the time.
That afternoon the child and his father came to your office. You
questioned the child yourself and he confirmed what you had been
told that morning by me. You assured us that immediate action would
be taken.
On December 3rd 1985 Mr. Rundle telephoned you about the matter of
going to the parish priest for confession. In the course of the
conversation you told Mr. Rundle that Fr. Naughton wished to tell the
parish priest himself about the matter of child abuse. You had said that
the charges had not been denied. Mr. Rundle left the matter in your
hands assured by you that positive action would be taken.
However, when the parish priest came to the Rundle home on Friday
the 6th Dec he was shocked to hear, for the first time, that one of his
459
priests was involved in child abuse in the parish. He had not been
informed by Fr. Naughton, he had not been informed by the
Archbishop and he had not been informed by you yourself. This raises
several very disturbing points of a very serious nature.
1
That a priest who had been charged with and had not
denied child abuse was called to Archbishop‟s House and
was allowed to leave at once to return to the same parish.
2
That both you and Dr. McNamara knew about the
matter and yet a week later you did not see fit or think the
matter of child abuse serious enough to see if the parish
priest knew about it.
3
Knowing that child abuse is a very serious crime you
allowed the priest to return to the same parish where the
same children were.
4
That the Roman Catholic Church which claims to be
the moral guardians of the people treat child abuse in such
an off-hand manner calls into question the Church‟s ability to
govern anything.
The way the whole matter has been handled by Archbishop‟s House
has made the Rundle family feel very guilty and angry, as I do, by the
manner in which they have been let down. The only reason that you
were informed was to allow you to deal with the matter with as little
fuss as possible. In this we were wrong not to have contacted the
Gardai first. This mistake will now be rectified. The very least that was
expected was that the priest would have been removed from the
parish. Today, 11 weeks later the priest is still in the parish. This goes
against all the medical information I have. In fact it seems nothing at
all has been done.
I can see no defence for your lack of action and the matter must now
be taken up at another level and because of the Church‟s lack of
interest in the problem of its priests being involved in child abuse it will
have to be brought out openly. There is now the additional fact that
both Dr. McNamara and you knew about the child abuse and did what
appears to be nothing. I would also have to question the matter of
460
other priests who “were” involved in child abuse and you claim were
treated. The whole thing takes on very sinister tones.
Before any other action is taken by me, I would like to discuss the
matter with you to make sure there is no misunderstanding.”
Monsignor Stenson disagreed with the conclusions reached and, in reply to
this letter, stated: “That is simply not true as action was taken at parochial
level and professional help and guidance obtained for the priest concerned.
You will appreciate that I am not at liberty to divulge the precise details of this
help”.
29.20
At this stage Monsignor Stenson was aware of the existence of
another allegation.
A complaint had been made to a local priest by the
parents of another altar boy.
29.21
Monsignor
Stenson
informed
Archbishop
McNamara
of
the
complaints, both about inaction in relation to the Mervyn Rundle complaint
and the new complaint.
Monsignor Stenson met Mr and Mrs Rundle in
February 1986 and explained what steps the Church had taken, including a
psychiatric evaluation, in relation to Fr Naughton.
He did not inform them
about the suspicions that had been raised about Fr Naughton‟s time in
Valleymount. Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that, for reasons of
confidentiality, he did not consider that he was free to tell them about the
other complaints.
29.22
Monsignor Stenson advised Fr Naughton to tell his psychiatrist about
all the allegations against him. It is not known if this happened.
Stroud, 1986
29.23
Eventually, in August 1986, Fr Naughton was relieved of his curacy
and sent to Stroud for a course of therapy with the promise of a further
placement in the Archdiocese on receipt of a favourable report from there.
29.24
In September 1986, the director of Stroud indicated to the Archbishop
that he did not believe Fr Naughton was in touch with the gravity of the
situation and expressed the view that it was difficult to believe that the
problem was only surfacing now.
461
29.25
The director of Stroud noted, in October 1986, that he was more
optimistic that things could work out for Fr Naughton. However, he warned
that Fr Naughton would need further support when he returned to Dublin. He
also advised that the parish priest in his new placement should be informed of
the situation.
Ringsend, 1986
29.26
Fr Naughton was appointed in December 1986 to the parish of
Ringsend and despite his background, was given responsibility for some work
in schools. He told Stroud in a follow-up meeting that this was not a problem
for him given his background. Stroud expressed concern that he had ended
his relationship with his counsellor. The Archdiocese arranged for him to see
yet another counsellor but, in June 1988, the headmistress of the local girl‟s
primary school expressed concerns about Fr Naughton engaging in horseplay
and failing to desist when brought to his attention. She had heard about the
complaints from Donnycarney and Co Wicklow.
29.27
By September 1988, complaints about Fr Naughton‟s inappropriate
behaviour and the fact that children were often visiting his house were known
to the Archdiocese.
29.28
A specific complaint was made by a young boy who had accompanied
Fr Naughton to a funeral. The boy said he was inappropriately touched by
him in the car on the way to the graveyard. He ran home and complained to
his parents who reported it to the principal of the school.
The principal
reported it to the health board and the director of community care reported the
matter to the Gardaí.
29.29
By early October 1988, Fr Naughton had been relieved of his duties in
Ringsend. The Archdiocese thought a further period in Stroud would refocus
him. However, he did not return to Stroud immediately but was placed under
the care of yet another doctor in Dublin. This doctor stated that Fr Naughton
should be given another chance with as many precautions as possible put in
place. He suggested a position as a chaplain in a hospital. He expressed
himself doubtful about the Stroud techniques and the possibility of a
fundamental change or transformation in Fr Naughton‟s behaviour.
462
Fr
Naughton did return to Stroud in December 1988 and remained there for five
months.
29.30
It should be noted that the situation regarding Fr Naughton was quite
well known in the parish of Ringsend.
A local chaplain and teacher told the
Commission that, on the day after Fr Naughton was removed from his duties
in the parish of Ringsend, one of the girls in his class told him that the priest
had been removed because “he was messing with altar boys”. This suggests
that the situation regarding Fr Naughton was being spoken about in the parish
of Ringsend. This chaplain also told the Commission that this was the first he
had heard of the reasons surrounding Fr Naughton‟s removal. Later that
week he met the local public health nurse and told her that he knew nothing
of the circumstances surrounding Fr Naughton‟s removal. The nurse was
dealing with the complaints and she briefed him on the situation. He also told
the Commission that, when Fr Naughton was appointed to Ringsend in
December 1986, and despite the fact that he was to share a house with the
incoming Fr Naughton, he was not informed by the Archdiocese of complaints
about Fr Naughton.
29.31
Bishop Kavanagh spoke to the St Patrick‟s Missionary Society about
Fr Naughton‟s position in January 1989. The Society told the bishop that it
was not aware of any similar complaints about Fr Naughton before his
appointment to the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Society was clear that the
Archdiocese, not the Society, was now responsible for Fr Naughton.
29.32
Fr Naughton was not given any further appointments by the
Archdiocese.
29.33
Further complaints emerged from Ringsend at a later stage.
Health board response
29.34
Following notification from the school principal, health board personnel
including the acting director of community care, the social work services and
the public health nurse immediately responded to the complaints. At this
stage the 1987 guidelines on child abuse had been issued by the Department
of Health (see Chapter 6) so the acting director of community care, on
hearing of the allegation, informed the Gardaí at Ringsend of the complaint.
463
She also convened a case conference to which the social workers, the Gardaí
and the public health nurse were invited. The Gardaí sent their apologies. It
was decided at that conference that the public health nurse should approach
the parents of all the altar boys and also the parents of those boys involved in
Fr Naughton‟s garden project.
This was a project in which Fr Naughton
encouraged young boys to assist him growing vegetables.
29.35
The public health nurse told the Commission that it was decided that
the parents should speak with their own children to see whether there had
been any inappropriate behaviour by Fr Naughton and if so, that they should
come back to her and seek advice on how they could handle it. She also told
them that if a subsequent disclosure was made, they could come back at any
time and seek either counselling or advice.
She gave evidence that the
school principal had a very good relationship with the boys and that she
encouraged the families that, if they did not want to communicate with her,
they should communicate with him or any other person in the health board
they thought might be appropriate.
29.36
The acting director of community care followed up matters by
contacting Stroud.
She expressed her concern that Fr Naughton had
received treatment in the past but had subsequently re-offended. She was
assured by Stroud that provision had been made for Fr Naughton under strict
supervision outside the Dublin area and that he would not be receiving a
further diocesan appointment.
She also contacted her health board
counterpart on the north side of the city to ensure that her counterpart was
aware that there had been incidents in Donneycarney and subsequent
incidents in Ringsend. In May 1989 she contacted Monsignor Stenson in
order to get further information about Fr Naughton‟s current whereabouts.
Return to Kiltegan, 1989
29.37
In May 1989, St Patrick‟s Missionary Society agreed, at the request of
the Dublin Archdiocese, to give accommodation to Fr Naughton at their
headquarters at Kiltegan where work was provided for him. An attempt was
made to excardinate him from the Archdiocese of Dublin but, as the St
Patrick‟s Missionary Society was unable or unwilling to readmit him to the
order, he remained and still remains a priest of the Dublin Archdiocese. The
Archdiocese paid an allowance towards his upkeep in Kiltegan even though
464
the Society did not think this was necessary.
He attended a support group
and he carried out some limited ministry.
There was extensive
communication between the Archdiocese and the Society in relation to him in
the period 1989 – 1992.
Aughrim Street complaints
29.38
In the mid to late 1990s, a number of complaints of sexual assault
were made to Gardaí by men who claimed they were abused by Fr Naughton
while he was a curate in Aughrim Street between 1976 and 1980. The Gardaí
followed up these complaints but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
directed that no prosecution should take place due to the lapse of time.
Prosecution
29.39
A number of complainants who were already known to the
Archdiocese made complaints to the Gardaí in 1995 and 1996. Fr Naughton
was prosecuted in relation to sexual assaults on three boys. In May 1998, he
pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent assault on Mervyn Rundle, the other
altar boy from Donnycarney and the boy from Ringsend. He was sentenced
to three years imprisonment by the Dublin Circuit Court. This was reduced on
appeal to two and a half years.
29.40
The only incidents of abuse which Fr Naughton had admitted to
archdiocesan officials were those relating to Mervyn Rundle.
Follow-up by the Archdiocese
29.41
In October 1995, Archbishop Connell met the Rundles and apologised
to them.
Counselling was offered to all the complainants. In the course of
making inquiries about these complaints, the Archdiocese was told of a
suspicion that Fr Naughton may have abused while he was in the West
Indies.
29.42
After his conviction, a letter from the Archbishop expressing his sorrow
and offering pastoral outreach was circulated to the parishes where Fr
Naughton had served.
29.43
There was again extensive communication between the Archdiocese
and St Patrick‟s Missionary Society about what was to happen when Fr
465
Naughton was released from prison. He was released in June 2000. He was
accommodated in a number of religious residences and eventually, the
Society agreed that it would look after him under strict conditions.
29.44
The
Archdiocese
and
the
Society
discussed
the
monitoring
arrangements and who would be liable for any further offending by Fr
Naughton. He was receiving therapy but he was a reluctant participant.
29.45
A report from Granada in June 2000 stated that Fr Naughton was
unlikely to re-offend and had not abused in many years. It was stated that he
would not require stringent monitoring or restrictions. It was recommended
that he be placed in a religious community setting.
29.46
He returned to Kiltegan in January 2001, initially on a six month trial
basis. He was forbidden from engaging in ministry and was not allowed to
have any unsupervised contact with children.
An agreement was signed
between the Archdiocese and the Society which stipulated that Fr Naughton
was to remain the responsibility of the Archdiocese and the Archdiocese was
responsible for his supervision. This agreement has been renewed every six
months since then. Fr Naughton became a beneficiary of the Clerical Fund
Society (see Chapter 8).
29.47
He is visited regularly by his priest advisor who is very kind to him.
29.48
The health board was informed of his living arrangements and was
satisfied with the measures adopted by the Archdiocese.
29.49
In spite of some difficulties and his desire to take on ministry, the
arrangements seem to be working out reasonably well. He continues to be
monitored by the Granada Institute. The delegate visits regularly to check
that he is keeping to the restrictions that have been imposed.
29.50
Civil claims have been settled with a number of complainants.
Other complaints
29.51
During the currency of the Commission a number of other complaints
have been received and are in the process of being investigated.
466
29.52
Following the Prime Time programme Cardinal Secrets in 2002, the
Gardaí conducted an inquiry as to whether there was sufficient evidence to
mount a case of misprision of felony against any Church official (see Chapter
5). They concluded there was not: “with the exception of this apathetic
attitude in relation to this [the Mervyn Rundle] incident there does not appear
to be any other evidence of knowledge by the Church as to Tom Naughton‟s
catalogue of abuse”.
The Commission’s assessment
The Archdiocese
29.53
In the Commission‟s view, Bishop Murray must take some
responsibility for the very poor handling of complaints against this priest. The
Commission believes it is to his credit that he recognised this when he issued
his statement admitting his failure to follow up properly the complaints he had
received from Valleymount.
29.54
It is unacceptable that, when the Donnycarney complaints were being
discussed by the bishops, he, they and Archbishop McNamara did not return
to the Co Wicklow parish and carry out further investigations.
This was
despite the fact that Bishop Murray told the Commission that he informed the
meeting about the two men‟s complaints about Fr Naughton.
29.55
The archdiocesan authorities were wrong not to inform all priests in
Ringsend that there had been a serious complaint about Fr Naughton while
he worked in Donnycarney.
29.56
Overall, in their handling of the complaints against Fr Naughton,
archdiocesan authorities, particularly Bishop Murray, the Valleymount parish
priest and Archbishops Ryan and McNamara let down those families who,
because they were good Catholics, trusted the Church to do something about
this man. Archbishop McNamara was slow to respond to the complaint from
the Rundles despite the priest admitting sexual abuse.
As a result, Fr
Naughton was allowed to continue his abusive behaviour for several years
thereby severely damaging more victims. It was only when they went to the
Gardaí that they finally received satisfaction.
467
29.57
The Archdiocese was, at best, evasive in its referrals of Fr Naughton
for medical treatment in Ireland. Nowhere was there a full revelation of its
concerns or its knowledge. In particular, following the first report from the first
psychiatrist who saw him, which was clearly based on wrong information, the
Archbishop‟s response was merely to write a note thanking the psychiatrist for
his most helpful report. Fr Naughton was then going to be retained in his
ministry. It was not until the next complaint surfaced, which in fact happened
the following month, that he was sent to Stroud to which a full report was
provided.
29.58
The Archdiocese did, however belatedly, act correctly in the view of
the Commission, in arranging for Fr Naughton to live with his former Society
when the Ringsend complaints were made. Dismissing him then would have
led to a situation where he could have continued his activities unsupervised.
Returning him to live with his former Society meant that his activities could be
strictly monitored and controlled.
Indeed, his former Society is to be
commended for accepting him.
29.59
Fr Naughton‟s case is symptomatic of the Dublin Archdiocese‟s
attitude to child sexual abuse in the 1980s. Until the problem became so
great it could not be hidden, the archdiocesan procedure was to do all in its
power to protect the wrongdoer, while almost completely ignoring the effect of
this abuse on the victims. Monsignor Stenson states that the aim was to
rehabilitate the wrongdoer rather than to protect him. Regardless of the aim
in respect of the wrongdoer, the welfare of the children was not addressed.
As a result Fr Naughton was allowed to continue his abuse for several years
after legitimate concerns were first raised. This would not have happened if
the Archdiocese had fulfilled its duty to the children in the first instance.
29.60
There was good communication between the Archdiocese and St
Patrick‟s Missionary Society throughout.
The Garda response
29.61
Once formal complaints were made to Gardaí they responded
positively. The Commission considers that it was unfortunate that they failed
to attend the meeting arranged by the acting director of community care
following complaints about Fr Naughton‟s behaviour in Ringsend. Had they
468
attended they would have been alerted earlier to the fact that these south
Dublin complaints were not the only ones against Fr Naughton.
29.62
The Commission acknowledges that the Rundles and the mother of
one Ringsend complainant did not want the Gardaí involved initially, believing
that the Church authorities would handle matters.
Health board
29.63
The health board staff – the acting director of community care, the
social workers and the public health nurse – acted with commendable speed
and courage in dealing with this case.
It is one of the very few cases
examined by the Commission where the health authorities were proactive in
trying to prevent abuse.
The Commission recognises that the health
authorities are often constrained by resources and their legal remit in taking
such action (see Chapter 6).
469
Fr Cicero*98
Chapter 30
Introduction
30.1
Fr Cicero was born in 1939 and ordained in 1963 for the diocese of
Ossory. He died in 2002.
He was intellectually clever and was an expert in
canon law. He was given many appointments in the Ossory diocese but none
was successful as he was totally disorganised and chaotic in dealing with
everyday matters.
In the early 1970s he was appointed to the Dublin
Regional Marriage Tribunal on a part time basis. This involved travelling to
Dublin two days a week. He continued to work in Ossory on the other days.
30.2
In early summer 1981, two priests called to Fr Cicero‟s house to try
and sort out what officials from the diocese of Ossory regarded as an
administrative mess.
As well as finding a very substantial amount of
paperwork not dealt with, they discovered what Bishop Forristal, the bishop of
Ossory, described in evidence to the Commission as “lurid magazines”. In
September 1981 Fr Cicero was called to a meeting with Bishop Forristal.
Bishop Forristal has stated that he, the bishop, was not aware of the
existence of lurid magazines at the time of this meeting. The meeting was
concerned with an appointment in which Fr Cicero‟s lack of organisation
would not be such a problem.
His chaotic approach to practical matters
eventually led to a conviction for having no tax and insurance on his car and
he was banned from driving.
In June 1985, following a request from the
Moderator of the Regional Marriage Tribunal, it was decided that he would be
transferred to Dublin to work in the tribunal. He remained incardinated in the
diocese of Ossory.
Dublin appointment
30.3
As well as working in the tribunal, Fr Cicero was appointed as a
chaplain in an inner city parish. It was here that the first allegations of child
sexual abuse surfaced.
30.4
In late 1986, his parish priest was approached by the mother of a girl
who had called to collect her daughter at Fr Cicero‟s house.
Fr Cicero had
taken to inviting young girls back to his house to play with or use his
computer.
98
He had a personal computer and was an expert programmer.
This is a pseudonym.
470
(Personal computers were quite rare in the mid 1980s). When the mother
called, the daughter was upstairs and the mother heard her say: “will we
come down as we are or will we put our clothes on?”.
The mother wrote a
letter of complaint to the parish priest. The parish priest showed the letter to
Fr Cicero.
The parish priest‟s recollection at a later date was that Fr Cicero
went white when he read the letter. Fr Cicero put the letter in his pocket and
the parish priest thought that was the end of the matter.
30.5
In March 1987, two women reported their concerns about Fr Cicero
and his computer to the local curate. They explained that their two eight-year
-old daughters had told them of playing games in his house. The games
involved a computer program to command the removal of socks and tops,
kissing each other and kissing the priest. It later transpired that a number of
other young girls were involved as well. The matter was also reported by the
parents to the parish priest. Both the parish priest and the curate reported the
complaint to their local bishop, Bishop Williams, and the parish priest also
reported the 1986 complaint. The curate wrote a detailed letter outlining the
complaints. These incidents were not reported to the Gardaí or any other
appropriate authorities.
Medical report
30.6
Bishop Williams referred Fr Cicero to a psychiatrist, Professor Noel
Walsh, who saw him on two occasions.
Professor Walsh stated that there
was some “substance to the complaints which were made against him”.
Professor Walsh appeared to be under the impression that all that had
happened was engaging in undressing games in Fr Cicero‟s presence. His
report stated that there was no physical contact. He concluded that Fr Cicero
was involved in “a form of compulsive voyeurism which had emerged as a
problem for him in recent years”.
Professor Walsh stated that Fr Cicero had
no major psychiatric problem and that he was quite distressed by the problem
he did have.
Professor Walsh recommended that he return to work with the
marriage tribunal and be relocated in part-time pastoral work.
He also
recommended that Fr Cicero return for some further sessions but he did not
do so.
30.7
As with a number of other cases that were referred to Professor
Walsh, the whole story does not appear to have been given to him. The local
471
curate who had received the complaints had written a letter to Bishop
Williams outlining in detail what he had been told and this account was
supported by the parish priest. This letter does not appear to have been
given to Professor Walsh. It is highly unlikely that Professor Walsh would
state in his report that there had been no physical contact if the allegation of
kissing Fr Cicero, as had been reported in the letter, had been known to him.
30.8
Fr Cicero was removed from the parish. The parents did not pursue
the matter.
Supervision
30.9
Monsignor Sheehy, who was the judicial vicar and Fr Cicero‟s superior
in the marriage tribunal, stated that he was prepared to have the priest
continue as a full-time member of the tribunal on the basis that:
Fr Cicero knew that Monsignor Sheehy was aware of his difficulties;
he would work solely in accordance with the policy and practice of the
tribunal;
any further aberration would inevitably mean his dismissal from the
tribunal and accordingly his return to the diocese of Ossory;
some appropriate accommodation together with some kind of convent
chaplaincy be found for him which would be supervised.
It is interesting to note that there is no mention of any possible civil or criminal
sanction being applied against Fr Cicero for any past or future breaches.
30.10
A good deal of manoeuvring took place with the knowledge of Bishop
Forristal, Bishop Williams and Monsignor Sheehy as the following
communication, in May 1987, from Bishop Williams to Monsignor Sheehy
illustrates:
“Bishop Carroll would be very grateful if you would quietly arrange for
[Fr Cicero] to resume his duties in the Tribunal and to take up
residence in [a convent] until the end of June. I would suggest that
this could be arranged quietly through Bishop Forristal and that no
formal appointment, or reappointment, to either Tribunal or chaplaincy,
is necessary”.
472
30.11
In July 1987, Fr Cicero was appointed chaplain to a convent. It is
surprising that, although the convent is a self-contained unit, no one appears
to have considered its suitability in light of its proximity to a girls‟ school. The
superior of the convent was made aware of his activities by Monsignor
Sheehy and was instructed to maintain a watchful eye on him.
30.12
He remained in the convent until 1991 when the mother superior‟s
term of office came to an end. He was then appointed as a parish chaplain
with a self-contained residence. Monsignor Sheehy outlined the supervisory
regime in a letter to Bishop Forristal. This involved a housekeeper attending
Fr Cicero‟s apartment two days a week and regular visits by Monsignor
Sheehy‟s secretary. There is a further letter early in 1992 indicating the
regime was being maintained.
1995
30.13
The Dublin Archdiocese reviewed Fr Cicero‟s file in 1995 as part of its
review of all cases involving child sexual abuse.
Monsignor Stenson
commented:
“by Framework standards it would appear that child-care issues would
have arisen in respect of the children in [the parish] and this was never
addressed at the time. It is clear that there was no question of the
matter being reported to the Gardaí even though it would probably fall
under the definition of child sexual abuse in the Framework
document”.
Some correspondence ensued between Monsignor Stenson and Bishop
Forristal.
In 1997, a number of options were given to Bishop Forristal.
Bishop Forrestal had asked his own delegate (in the diocese of Ossory)
whether the matter should be referred to the Gardaí; whether an investigation
should be conducted internally; and whether the matter would be referred to
the advisory panel.
However, it seems that Bishop Forristal and Monsignor
Sheehy agreed to let matters continue as they were, on the basis that there
had been no incidents for many years, but that Fr Cicero should be referred
for assessment.
473
1997-1999
30.14
Between 1997 and 1999 there was a series of letters from the
Archdiocese to Bishop Forristal demanding that Fr Cicero be sent for
assessment. Nothing was done until November 1999. Bishop Forristal told
the Commission that he was “very slow in progressing the various steps
which ought to have been taken”.
While he did not regard it as an excuse,
he told the Commission that both he and Fr Cicero had extremely serious
health problems around this time. The Commission is satisfied that these
health problems may have contributed to the delay and that there was no
active conspiracy to prevent Fr Cicero having the assessment and treatment,
but it still regards the delay as unacceptable.
30.15
Finally, after what could be described as a stern letter from Archbishop
Connell to Bishop Forristal in November 1999, Fr Cicero was assessed at the
Granada Institute.
30.16
Granada had knowledge of all the complaints. It also had Professor
Walsh‟s report of 1987. Fr Cicero told Granada that he had been involved in
sexually touching young girls when he was a teenager and had been
interested sexually in young girls ever since.
He said that the incidents
reported in 1987 were the only other times he had acted on these impulses.
He admitted that he played the games described by the girls but he denied
touching any of the victims. He described his activities as largely voyeuristic.
He estimated that there were approximately 12 victims dating from his 40s.
He believed that what he was doing did not harm the girls.
30.17
Granada concluded that:
Fr Cicero urgently required a specialised therapy programme.
He could continue his work in the marriage tribunal while engaging in
therapy.
He would likely require a life long programme of after care and
support.
2000 - 2002
30.18
In June 2000 one of his victims attempted to make contact with Fr
Cicero. She did not attend the arranged appointment. Fr Cicero told the
Archdiocese about this. Discussions took place between the Archdiocese
474
and the diocese of Ossory.
During this time Fr Cicero was attending
counselling sessions in Granada which he stated were beneficial. There was
a review meeting at Granada involving Bishop Forristal, Fr Cicero and
Granada staff. Granada now advised that Fr Cicero should cease ministry in
the marriage tribunal and in his chaplaincy.
It would appear that there was
confusion in the Archdiocese because Archbishop Connell had been told that
Granada was recommending that he could remain in the tribunal (which it did
in November 1999) and Monsignor Dolan was aware that Granada was
recommending that he be removed from the tribunal (which it did in August
2000). There was also some doubt about who was entitled to remove him
from the marriage tribunal. The Dublin Regional Marriage Tribunal deals with
a number of dioceses including Ossory. Bishop Forristal had nominated Fr
Cicero to the tribunal but, theoretically at least, he was appointed by all the
relevant bishops.
The issue then arose as to whether the other bishops
needed to be told of the circumstances.
30.19
One thing is clear however - the Archdiocese wanted to sever Fr
Cicero‟s connection with Dublin.
In November 2000, it was decided that he
would withdraw from the marriage tribunal and return to Ossory.
He was
removed from his parish chaplaincy position but he did not return to Ossory.
30.20
In December 2000, Monsignor Sheehy described Fr Cicero‟s
departure as “a shattering blow” to the marriage tribunal. He also had “a
distinct anxiety as to the canonical validity of the procedure” but saw no point
in pursuing that.
In January 2001, Bishop Forristal met Fr Cicero and it
appears that they and Monsignor Sheehy reached agreement that Fr Cicero
would be allowed to remain in Dublin doing unofficial work for the marriage
tribunal. Bishop Forristal told the Commission that this was a compromise
which allowed Fr Cicero to carry out largely academic work which had no
ministry with children. It appears that Monsignor Dolan was not aware of this
agreement until about a year later.
30.21
The Commission considers that Monsignor Sheehy manipulated the
situation in order to keep Fr Cicero as part of his team. As in other cases in
which he had a less than helpful or constructive involvement, Monsignor
Sheehy did not seem ever to consider the question of the protection of
children. Bishop Forristal clearly felt that Monsignor Sheehy was always in
475
the background when he was talking to Fr Cicero: he said he always “felt that
when I was talking to him, whether it was in person or on the phone, that
everything we discussed was discussed elsewhere and he was getting further
advice”. The Commission is in no doubt that both Monsignor Sheehy and Fr
Cicero used their extensive knowledge of the canon law as a means of
avoiding a forced return to Ossory.
30.22
A series of correspondence then ensued between the Archdiocese, its
legal advisers and Ossory in order to ascertain Fr Cicero‟s exact status. In the
course of this correspondence, Fr Cicero, who had been suffering from ill
health, died suddenly in August 2002.
The first statement to the Gardaí by
one of his victims was made in September 2002.
The Archdiocese has
made a civil settlement with one complainant.
30.23
In a statement to the Commission, Bishop Forristal very fairly
accepted responsibility for the delays in dealing with Fr Cicero in the late
1990s. He said that, on reviewing the history of his dealings with Fr Cicero: “I
have been deeply disturbed by my own delays and failures in applying the
principles of our Church Guidelines, particularly that of the paramountcy of
the safety of children”.
He went on to say that Archbishop Connell and his
chancellors were continually urging him to take action. “Any delay was my
doing and was in no way due to the Archbishop of Dublin or his staff.”
The Commission’s assessment
30.24
The parish priest who did not immediately report the 1986 complaint is
the same priest who discovered a person whom he described as a woman in
her thirties in Fr Noel Reynolds‟s bed– see Chapter 35. As is pointed out in
that chapter, “the woman” was more than likely to have been a young
teenager. He also failed to report that discovery to archdiocesan officials.
The Commission considers that the young curate acted responsibly by writing
an account of complaints to his bishop.
30.25
The Archdiocese acted correctly in removing Fr Cicero from the
parish. However, notwithstanding that the mother superior in the convent was
aware of his history, there were undoubtedly dangers attached to giving him
an appointment to a convent which bordered a girls‟ school.
476
30.26
It appears that, to a certain extent, everybody, including bishops, felt in
awe of Fr Cicero‟s intellect. Most of the people with whom he dealt regarded
him as intellectually superior to them and it appears that he concurred fully
with this assessment.
Sheehy.
He undoubtedly had a powerful ally in Monsignor
Monsignor Sheehy used the confusion which seemed to exist
between the Archdiocese of Dublin and the diocese of Ossory to get the
outcome he wanted.
However, the Commission does recognise that
Monsignor Sheehy put a monitoring system in place.
30.27
When the Dublin Archdiocese decided to review matters in 1995 and
took the decision to return Fr Cicero to Ossory, they found themselves
stymied. Bishop Forristal, as he himself admits, was mainly responsible for
the delays in having the priest assessed.
The bishop told the Commission
that his exercise of responsibility over Fr Cicero was “severely hampered by
the vigour with which Monsignor Sheehy acted to preserve [Fr Cicero‟s]
unofficial working function at the Tribunal and to defend his position
generally”. The bishop said that, ultimately, he was persuaded by Monsignor
Sheehy‟s view that Fr Cicero‟s “mental and physical wellbeing were being
assured through his continuance in that role”.
The Commission finds it
extraordinary that Bishop Forristal and the Archdiocese allowed Monsignor
Sheehy to have such influence as they had the power to have their wishes in
respect of Fr Cicero implemented.
30.28
The matter was not reported to the Gardaí until April 2002 and was
never reported to the health board. This was in breach of the Church‟s own
guidelines.
30.29
The files do not contain any account of how the Church dealt with the
parents of the children who were abused.
Bishop Forristal requested the
Commission to note that, as bishop of Ossory, he was not in a position to
respond directly to the parents who had not approached him.
pastorally with one of the victims.
He did meet
The fact that Fr Cicero was moved from
the parish appears to have satisfied the parents.
477
Chapter 31
Fr Clemens*99
Introduction
31.1
Fr Clemens was born in the 1960s and ordained in the 1980s. He has
served in a number of parishes in the Dublin Archdiocese but is currently
voluntarily standing aside from ministry.
He has had two allegations of
inappropriate behaviour and sexual abuse made against him, the first arising
within months of his ordination. The investigation into the second allegation is
ongoing.
First allegations
31.2
In early December 1988, five sets of parents complained to the parish
priest of the parish where Fr Clemens was serving. He had taken charge of
the altar boys on his arrival in the parish a short time earlier.
On one
occasion during altar boy practice, some of the boys had been misbehaving
and Fr Clemens allegedly made them lower their trousers as a form of
punishment. There was no touching involved.
31.3
One of the altar boys immediately told his parents of the incident. He
claimed that he had been kept in the vestry for approximately 40 minutes but
had refused to remove his trousers. Fr Clemens allegedly released him only
when he showed him the top of his underwear.
This boy‟s parents
immediately reported this to the parish priest who told them that there must
be some mistake and made an appointment for them to return that evening.
In the interim, these parents called to the parents of the other altar boys
involved in the incident. One altar boy denied it had happened to him and it
was not until a Garda investigation began in 2002 that he admitted he had
been subjected to this treatment. In 2002, he alleged that this treatment had
occurred at least 20 times over a two-year period; this, however, is unlikely to
be accurate as the priest was in the parish for only a few months. This same
former altar boy also alleged in 2002 that on one occasion he was asked by
Fr Clemens to remove his underwear but he had refused.
A third altar boy
said at the time (December 1988) that he had been asked to remove his
trousers.
The parents of these three altar boys, and the parents of two
others, went back to see the parish priest later that evening as arranged.
99
This is a pseudonym.
478
31.4
In the interim, it appears that Fr Clemens had met his parish priest and
denied the allegations. However, when the allegations were put to him again
in the presence of one of the families, he admitted to asking their son to
remove his trousers, saying it was punishment for misbehaviour. The boy‟s
father threatened to go to the media and the Gardaí but was dissuaded by the
parish priest who promised to deal with the issue and to inform the
Archbishop.
31.5
Bishop Murray was immediately informed and in turn contacted
Archbishop‟s House in December 1988. The allegations were discussed at a
meeting of the auxiliary bishops where it was decided that Fr Clemens would
be given alternative accommodation in a non-parochial setting.
He was
removed from the parish and went to live with another priest. It would appear
that a considerable number of parishioners were aware of the incidents and
the parents of the boys involved were adamant that Fr Clemens should have
no post in the parish.
31.6
Fr Clemens attended a psychiatrist and admitted that the punishment
was of an impulsive nature and possibly related to voyeuristic impulses. The
psychiatrist concluded that the incident could best be regarded as “an
impulsive indiscretion which did not involve any harm to the boys in question
and probably reflects a certain vulnerability in [Fr Clemens‟s] personality”.
The doctor did not regard the incident as a serious problem and concluded it
was very unlikely to recur.
September 1989.
Continued outpatient care was arranged until
In December 1989 the psychiatrist recommended an
appointment in a parochial setting as soon as possible.
31.7
Approximately one week after the first reported incident, the parish
priest met some of the parents to update them on developments and offer
their son some counselling but this was refused.
31.8
Fr Clemens was appointed curate in a parish at the other end of the
diocese in January 1989. The parish priest of this parish was informed about
the allegations but it was decided not to inform the other priests. Concerns
were later raised in the new parish by teachers at the local primary school
because they had heard rumours about the incident in the previous parish.
479
Bishop O‟Mahony met the teachers. He told the Commission that he had
informed the teachers of the results of the psychiatric assessment and that Fr
Clemens was being monitored. He told them that “within the limits of fallibility
and having taken expert opinion there was no one at risk”.
31.9
When the Archdiocese began to report cases to the Gardaí in 1996, Fr
Clemens was referred to the Granada Institute for a second review. (He was
not named in the first list given to the Gardaí in November 1995 – see
Chapter 5.)
He had two meetings with a psychologist who issued a
favourable final review in February 1998.
This stated that Fr Clemens
showed no evidence of maladjustment and presented as emotionally stable
with a sexual orientation to adult women. There was no indication of an erotic
interest towards children and no evidence of posing any risk to children.
31.10
In 2001, Fr Clemens was appointed to another parish as part of the
normal process of appointments.
31.11
In May 2002, the parish priest in his first parish received a solicitor‟s
letter on behalf of the altar boy who had claimed he was kept in the vestry for
40 minutes. The former altar boy was now an adult and he threatened civil
proceedings for false imprisonment. He also said he intended to contact the
Gardaí.
31.12
This young man‟s parents made a formal complaint to Gardaí in May
2002. The Gardaí carried out a thorough investigation. They took statements
from the altar boys involved in the complaint, their parents and others who
had served as altar boys in 1988.
They also took statements from Fr
Clemens, the parish priest and Bishop Murray. There were some conflicting
statements given, some saying there was also smacking involved, others
saying they had heard rumours but had never witnessed anything.
Fr
Clemens told Gardaí that, at the time of the incident, one boy had his
underwear showing and he told him to tuck his shirt in; he did ask to see
another boy‟s underwear. He denied all other aspects of the allegation.
31.13
The Gardaí contacted the chancellor, Monsignor Dolan in August
2002 and told him that there were four allegations against this priest. They
wanted a statement from Archbishop Connell as to why this priest was
480
transferred in 1988 and information on what treatment he had received. The
Gardaí said they did not think there was much in the allegation but wanted
further information before sending the file to the DPP.
Monsignor Dolan
provided them with a statement documenting events surrounding the
allegations.
31.14
In November 2002, Monsignor Dolan contacted Granada seeking
clarification as to whether Fr Clemens‟s behaviour could come under the
definition of child sexual abuse as outlined in the Framework Document.
Granada said it would not. An advisory panel meeting in October 2003 noted
this firm view and agreed with Granada. The panel recommended that no
action be taken until the Garda investigation had been concluded. The DPP
decided not to prosecute.
Second allegation
31.15
A new allegation was made in April 2005. It related to an incident
which had allegedly occurred in 1988/89 when the complainant was about
five years old and Fr Clemens was in the parish where the first complaints
were made. The complainant alleged that this priest had fondled him. The
Archdiocese followed the Framework Document procedures.
The
complainant was offered counselling. Fr Clemens has stepped aside from
ministry and denies the allegation. The matter had not been resolved by early
2007.
The Commission’s assessment
31.16
The Archdiocese dealt quite well with the allegations relating to the
altar boys. There is no doubt that Fr Clemens‟s behaviour was inappropriate
but it was not clear that it involved child sexual abuse. The second allegation
does involve child sexual abuse and it is being dealt with in accordance with
the agreed procedures.
481
Chapter 32
32.1
Fr Dominic Savio Boland OFM Cap
Fr John Boland is a member of the Capuchin Franciscan Order. His
religious name is Fr Dominic Savio Boland.
He was born in 1930 and
ordained in 1966. He worked in the Archdiocese of Dublin as a teacher,
school chaplain and hospital chaplain. He is now living in one of the order‟s
houses in Ireland with restrictions on his activities and ministry.
32.2
Fr Boland is a convicted serial child sexual abuser. He has mainly
abused males, but there are also allegations in relation to females. He was
convicted of nine counts of indecent assault in 2001 against one victim and
he received a 12-month suspended sentence.
The Commission is aware of
allegations or suspicions in respect of nine named children. Some of these
children also reported that they were aware that Fr Boland had abused other
children. He has admitted to abusing about 20 children.
First complaint
32.3
The first allegation of child sexual abuse against Fr Boland for which
the Commission has documentary evidence was made in December 1989 to
the order. A novice in the order alleged that he had been abused when he
was about 13 years old; this was four years before he joined the order. The
abuse involved fondling.
The head of the order decided to “look after
everything”. He arranged counselling for the victim and he sent Fr Boland to
a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist reported in March 1991 that Fr Boland was
remorseful and seemed motivated to ensure no repetition.
Second complaint
32.4
Another complaint was made to the Gardaí in March 1994.
The
complainant alleged he had been abused by a priest in his own home in 1973
when he was about 11 years old. He did not know the priest‟s name but he
knew the name of the order and he was able to describe a distinguishing
physical characteristic of Fr Boland.
The Gardaí then interviewed this
complainant‟s parents. They said their son had told them about the assault at
the time and the father had complained to a priest in Clonliffe College.
32.5
This complainant had told his parents in 1973 that he had been
abused by a diocesan priest – Fr Ioannes* (see Chapter 17). The complaint
482
in respect of Fr Ioannes was dealt with by Monsignor Richard Glennon (a
former chancellor of the Archdiocese, then a vicar general and parish priest).
There is no record of this original complaint in the files of the Archdiocese and
Monsignor Glennon died in 1985.
The complainant‟s parents told the
Commission that Fr Boland had arrived at their house shortly after the
complaint had been made to the Church authorities about Fr Ioannes. The
parents thought he was visiting them as part of the process of dealing with
that complaint. Fr Boland and the boy were left in a room together for a short
time and the boy came out and complained about him.
32.6
In 1994, when the Gardaí were talking to Monsignor Stenson about Fr
Ioannes*, they told him that there was a complaint against a Fr Dominic who
wore a brown robe and had a distinguishing physical characteristic.
The
Gardaí told Monsignor Stenson that they knew who he was and they were
following it up. Monsignor Stenson made a note of this but it was filed in Fr
Ioannes‟s files and its connection to Fr Boland was not made by the
Archdiocese until 2004.
32.7
Fr Boland was interviewed by the Gardaí immediately following this
complaint in 1994.
He said he could not recall this complainant but did
remember his house and having tea with the complainant‟s mother. He said
that, on occasion, he would hug children but he could not recall doing
anything else.
32.8
The Gardaí prepared a file for the DPP. It is clear from the Garda
report to the DPP that the Gardaí believed the complainant.
The DPP
decided not to prosecute mainly because of the delay, but it was also
considered that Fr Boland‟s explanation was quite credible.
32.9
The order decided that, in light of this allegation, the action taken in
relation to the allegation by the first complainant was inadequate. In October
1994, Fr Boland was sent to the Granada Institute for assessment and
treatment. At this stage Fr Boland was living in one of the order‟s houses
outside of the Archdiocese of Dublin. He was allowed to say mass in public
but he did not hold any public appointment.
483
Suspicion/concern
32.10
Shortly after this, at Easter 1995, the matron of a hospital, to which Fr
Boland was not the chaplain, expressed unease about the fact that he was
visiting the children‟s ward. He was withdrawn from all hospital work.
32.11
Granada reported that Fr Boland asserted that his involvement with
children in the hospital was purely pastoral and there was no sexual activity.
He acknowledged that he had “transgressed a boundary” with the first
complainant but nothing similar had happened since.
Granada, having
discussed the matter with Fr Boland and his superiors, concluded that Fr
Boland had not been involved with children in any sexual way since the
occasion ten years earlier.
However, they pointed out that he had not
realised the extent to which his ministry, especially with children, could be
perceived as inappropriate and that he needed greater supervision.
Fr
Boland agreed to hand over his car keys to his superior and not to have any
contact with children except with another adult present.
Third complaint
32.12
A third complainant came forward in October 1995.
He was
interviewed by the order‟s delegate. He alleged that Fr Boland had sat him
on his knee and kissed him in one of the order‟s houses. He was about eight
or nine years old at the time. Fr Boland ran a club for young boys and this
complainant had seen him behave similarly towards other boys in the club.
This complainant also made a complaint to the Gardaí.
32.13
In an interview with the order‟s delegate, Fr Boland admitted to sexual
activity with the first complainant but not with the two subsequent
complainants. He admitted that he had abused other boys in the past but
claimed that this behaviour had ceased eight or nine years previously.
32.14
The order‟s advisory group met and considered the case which was
now recognised to be more serious than had previously been thought. It was
decided to withdraw Fr Boland from ministry, to send him to another location
and to send him for assessment and treatment to a therapeutic facility in the
UK. The Granada report and the report of the delegate‟s interview with Fr
Boland were provided to the personnel in the UK facility.
484
32.15
The members of the order who had lived in the same house as Fr
Boland were told that he had been transferred from this house to a clinic in
the UK following reports about him which were brought to the Provincial‟s
attention. They were also told that the only address to be given for him was
that of the head of the order in the UK.
32.16
The assessment from the UK therapeutic facility showed that Fr
Boland acknowledged that he had a sexual interest in, and had been
fantasising about sex with, young children since his mid-teens. It described a
well developed belief system which supported and legitimised his sexual
interest in children. It became apparent to the therapists that Fr Boland had
convinced himself that boys of 11 or 12 years were aware of sexual matters
and might enjoy being touched in a sexual way. He believed that they would
not be harmed by what he was doing to them. Consequently, it became clear
to the therapists that Fr Boland had very distorted beliefs that allowed him to
sexually offend.
32.17
Fr Boland described how he used his role as a priest to target
children. He would seek out opportunities to be among children and would
engage their interest by offering them holy medals and pictures. He would
draw upon their perception of the priest to gain their trust and be accepted by
them. Once he had targeted a particular child, he would befriend the parents
and begin to visit that child‟s house. He would then gradually gain access to
the child by manipulating the family members and creating situations where
he would be alone with the child. He would then introduce and normalise
sexual touching as a regular component of their meetings. He believed that
the first complainant “both consented to and actively participated in the sexual
contact”. He did acknowledge that he was responsible for the sexual nature
of the relationship but failed to see the power differential between him and his
victim.
32.18
He acknowledged that he had fantasised about children all of his adult
life and had committed about 100 offences against 20 children.
His first
offence was when he was 16 years old when he abused an 11 year old. He
claimed that he had himself been frequently abused at the age of eight.
485
32.19
The assessment concluded that Fr Boland had a high risk of re-
offending.
32.20
The order delegate met the first complainant in December 1995. This
complainant did not want any report to be made to the Gardaí and said he
would regard such reporting as an invasion of his privacy.
32.21
A further report was received from the UK therapeutic facility in
January 1996.
This showed that Fr Boland had many manipulative
techniques which he instinctively used to prevent analysis of his offending.
He used methods such as:
intellectualising his sexual abuse and deflecting responsibility onto
victims;
minimising the impact of the behaviour;
engaging in distorted thinking about children and sexuality.
32.22
This meant that there were blocks to treating him.
32.23
Fr Boland was visited in this facility by a member of the order‟s
advisory group. She reported that he minimised how he sexually abused
children and he attempted to manipulate her into getting him some form of
ministry. He used religion and spirituality to divert from his offending. She
concluded that he was a dangerous offender and expressed huge doubts
about his ability to engage in treatment. His thinking was much distorted and
she was of the view that treatment was not helping him and he should be
removed from the unit.
Fourth complaint
32.24
A new allegation then emerged. This was from a girl who alleged she
had been abused during a school retreat and that other girls had also been
abused.
They had told some teachers and two priests but the general
reaction was that nobody would believe them as Fr Boland had such a saintly
reputation. One of the priests told the order. The girl and her mother were
contacted by a member of the order‟s advisory group.
The girl was angry
with the priest who had reported to the order but agreed to put her story in
writing. She refused the offer of counselling.
486
32.25
A member of the order visited Fr Boland in the therapeutic facility to
put the new allegation to him. He denied any sexual involvement but said he
had comforted some girls during the retreat. He later said that there were a
few girls whom he hugged and kissed.
32.26
In August 1996, a further report from the UK therapeutic facility
showed that Fr Boland was not making progress. He was highly manipulative
and continued to exploit the image of the “gentle, elderly, naïve priest”.
Since the new allegations had been made, he regarded himself as the victim.
32.27
The advisory group decided that the health board should be informed
of the allegations in relation to the school retreat and of the places where Fr
Boland had worked and given retreats. The delegate met a representative of
the health board.
32.28
The advisory group member visited Fr Boland again in April 1997.
She found that he was making some progress but was still very manipulative.
She discussed a support group for him when he was released.
She
considered that he would need strict boundaries regarding visitors and callers
and that he would benefit from a relapse prevention programme.
32.29
Fr Boland returned to one of the order‟s houses in Ireland in May
1997. A contract of behaviour was agreed. This provided that Fr Boland:
was free to wear his habit or clerical collar in the friary, but not in
public;
could celebrate mass privately;
could use all areas of the house except the front door and front office;
could make phone calls only to family, support group, counsellor,
confessor or other members of the order with the permission of the
superior in the house;
could receive phone calls from family, support group, counsellor,
confessor or other order members but was not permitted to answer
the phone;
could receive visits but only from family, support group, counsellor,
confessor or other order members;
could receive letters;
487
could write letters to family, support group, counsellor, confessor or
other order members with the permission of the superior in the house;
could join the other order members in the Divine Office and could use
the oratory but only when the doors were closed;
could choose his own confessor outside the house;
could not leave the house without a companion, except to visit the
doctor or dentist, therapist or the head of the order and he was not
permitted to drive a car.
32.30
All inquirers would be told that “D.S. Boland is not well and is off work,
and that he is unable to see you or speak to you”.
32.31
Fr Boland attended the Granada Institute for therapy.
The local
bishop was informed of his current circumstances including the details of the
contract.
Suspicion/concern
32.32
In October 1997, a woman wrote to the Archdiocese about her
experiences with Fr Boland when he was a hospital chaplain. She said he
befriended her children when she and they were visiting her mother in the
hospital.
He subsequently began to show what she considered to be an
abnormal interest in her ten-year-old son. This letter was sent to the order by
Monsignor John Dolan. The Archdiocese was told that Fr Boland had been
having treatment. Monsignor Dolan replied to the woman saying that the
order would deal with the issues.
The order replied to Monsignor Dolan
telling him that the woman could contact their delegate. Monsignor Dolan
wrote to the woman and gave her the details. It seems that she did not
contact the order at this stage. The order did not contact her. The order
explained to the Commission the thinking behind this failure to contact her:
“It is now clear that, out of pastoral concern for both herself and her
son, […] should have been contacted by the Capuchins once they
became aware of the allegation she made against one of their
members. However, the thinking back then seems to have been as
follows: since all correspondence relating to […] allegation on behalf of
her son had been conducted through the good offices of the Diocesan
Chancellery, it was thought that […] privacy might best be respected
488
and her freedom of initiative be preserved by her not being contacted
directly but, instead, by her being supplied with the phone number of
the Order‟s delegate should she wish to contact the Order”.
32.33
Fr Boland continued to attend Granada and in 1998/9 wanted to have
some of the restrictions lifted. Granada would not recommend this and it was
made very clear to Fr Boland by the head of the order that the restrictions
would stay in place.
Fifth complaint
32.34
In July 1999, another allegation was reported to the order. This came
via the head of another religious order who said that one of its priests had
complained that he had been abused by Fr Boland when he about 11 years
old – between 1977 and 1979. This complainant had been an altar boy and
Fr Boland was helping out in his parish – he officiated at baptisms and
benediction. The head of the order met this complainant. He then put the
complaint to Fr Boland who remembered the complainant but denied any
sexual activity – he said he may have given him a hug. The complainant met
the delegate and gave a full account of his experiences with Fr Boland. He
also said that his school friend had been treated the same way.
The
complainant reported the allegations to the Gardaí in September 1999. Fr
Boland was interviewed by the Gardaí. He said he could not remember any
sexual activity with the complainant. The delegate was interviewed by the
Gardaí and he gave them audio tapes of his interview with Fr Boland in
relation to this allegation.
32.35
The Gardaí recommended that Fr Boland be prosecuted for 18
offences of indecent assault against this complainant. Further evidence was
collected from the complainant‟s parents. The complainant had told his father
about the abuse many years earlier but did not want anything done about it at
that time. The DPP directed that Fr Boland be prosecuted on nine counts of
indecent assault. He was arrested and charged in July 2000. He asked the
order to allow him (rather than anyone else) to tell his family about the
charges. The order paid £100 bail.
32.36
In January 2001, the head of the order was told by the superior in Fr
Boland‟s house that it had been made clear to Fr Boland that he had lost the
489
trust of the others in the house because of recurring breaches of his
behavioural contract. The house superior suggested a number of changes to
the contract. He said it needed to be renamed “Rules” so there could be no
ambiguity and to prevent Fr Boland trying to wriggle out of the terms. He
further suggested that it should be made clear that the purpose of the rules,
above everything else, was the protection of children. He should stop going
to Granada as the sessions there were preventing him from facing reality. Fr
Boland regarded himself as a victim and did not accept responsibility for his
actions or for the consequences of his actions on his victims and the religious
order. The revised contract should simply prohibit contact with lay people
except with the prior consent of the superior. Other members of the order
wrote to the head in a similar vein.
32.37
In February 2001, Fr Boland wrote a letter of apology to the fifth
complainant (in respect of whom he was being prosecuted). He also wrote to
the head of the order admitting that he had not always been upright and
honest in the past. He admitted that he had ulterior motives in his relationship
with children. However, he promised to be a person of integrity and never
again be dishonest in any way. He commented that he believed therapy had
done him good.
32.38
Fr Boland was convicted on all nine counts of indecent assault in
September 2001. The judge wanted to know if he was continuing to receive
treatment. Evidence was given that the fifth complainant (who was working
abroad) was making progress because of the letter of apology and the court
case.
The judge took account of this and the continuing treatment and
imposed a 12 month suspended sentence. Fr Boland was also made subject
to the Sex Offenders Act 2001 for five years.
32.39
The order did not report this complaint or conviction to any bishop,
including the Archbishop of Dublin in whose diocese the abuse had occurred,
or the bishop in whose area he was then living.
32.40
The order contacted the health board about the case.
Fr Boland
continued to live in the same house and continued to attend Granada. A
review meeting was held in Granada in July 2002. Fr Boland felt he was
doing well in the house and was determined not to re-offend. However, the
490
other members of the order were concerned about his presence there. He
was receiving numerous letters and visits. Granada considered that he was
using these letters to perpetuate an image of the holy priest whose prayers
had special powers and he should stop letter writing. The order head told Fr
Boland that some of his relatives had been in touch recently and were angry
that they had not been told of his offending.
32.41
In November 2002, the mother who had been concerned about Fr
Boland‟s abnormal interest in her son contacted the Garda hotline. She said
she had contacted the Archdiocese years earlier and got no response. Her
son did not wish to make a complaint.
32.42
In February 2003, the delegate forwarded to the Gardaí particulars of
allegations received by the order in relation to a number of its members
including Fr Boland. The Gardaí asked the delegate to inform all the victims
concerned that they had been identified to the Gardaí and the Gardaí would
be in touch with them. The delegate contacted the first complainant and the
third complainant and said he was still investigating the case of the girl. The
complainants did not reply.
32.43
In 2004, as part of its review of all child abuse files, the Archdiocese
contacted the order about Fr Boland and how the complaints had been dealt
with. The Archdiocese was aware of only one complaint (the mother). The
head of the order confirmed that the mother had not been in contact with
them. He said that other complaints had been received by the order but none
related to Fr Boland‟s appointments in the Archdiocese. He said Fr Boland
had been removed from ministry. He also told the Archdiocese where Fr
Boland was now living and that the local bishop had been fully informed.
Astonishingly, he did not mention that Fr Boland had been convicted.
32.44
The Commission considers that the reply from the head of the order to
the Archdiocese, while it may be technically correct, is not the full truth. The
complaint in respect of which Fr Boland was convicted related to his
involvement in doing supply work in the Archdiocese. It seems that Fr Boland
organised various supply and school visiting roles himself, without the
involvement of his order, but the order did know of the circumstances in which
the fifth complainant was abused.
491
The order has acknowledged to the
Commission that the Archbishop of Dublin should have been informed of the
complaints in accordance with the requirements of the Framework Document.
The local bishop was not fully informed – he had not been told of the
conviction although he had been told of some of the complaints.
32.45
The Archdiocese forwarded all the correspondence from the mother to
the order and recommended that the hospital authorities be informed. The
hospital was not informed.
The hospital was one which had been
amalgamated into a new hospital.
32.46
In October 2005, the order told members of Fr Boland‟s family that it
was aware of four named victims and one unnamed victim (it seems that the
order did not know the name of the girl who complained in 1996). They were
also told that Fr Boland acknowledged 100 offences against 20 children. The
order said he was a considerable risk to boys between the ages of nine and
14 years, as he would use his role as a priest to seek out opportunity to be
among children and would draw on their perception of a priest to make
himself totally trusted.
Furthermore, he deflected responsibility onto the
victims and minimised the impact of his behaviour.
32.47
In November 2005, the delegate wrote to the Gardaí requesting a
meeting to establish a procedure in relation to offenders who are members of
religious orders. A meeting took place in March 2006. Later, the order wrote
to the Gardaí about the first complainant‟s request for absolute confidentiality.
The Gardaí decided not to approach him.
Sixth complainant
32.48
Another complainant told the Commission that he had been abused by
Fr Boland. He did not know his full name but did know him as Dominic Savio
and described the distinguishing physical characteristic. His account of how
Fr Boland befriended him and his family and his account of the abuse was
similar to that provided by other victims. On one occasion in 1986, Fr Boland
was fondling him in his home when his mother walked in. She immediately
told Fr Boland to leave. She complained to a priest in the order house where
Fr Boland lived at the time but she got no feedback. She did not inform the
Gardaí.
The order has no record of this complaint. This complainant was
492
aware of one other boy (whom he named) who he alleged had been abused
by Fr Boland.
The Commission’s assessment
32.49
The order‟s handling of the first complaint in 1989 was relatively good
for its time.
The priest was sent to a psychiatrist and counselling was
provided to the complainant.
This is one of the few cases of which the
Commission is aware that counselling was provided for a complainant before
the mid 1990s. This complainant was, of course, part of the order as well.
32.50
After the second complaint was made, the order did its best to try to
ensure that Fr Boland did not have access to children. It organised treatment
for him and then supervised him well in spite of the difficulties he presented.
It co-operated with the Gardaí when they became involved.
Communication between the order and the Archdiocesan authorities
32.51
The communication between the order and the Archdiocese was very
poor in this case – in fact, it was virtually non-existent on the part of the order.
The order did not inform the Archdiocese of the complaints against Fr Boland
or of the fact that he was convicted. The order has told the Commission that
it accepts that this “represents an unacceptable lapse and wishes to express
its regret and concern that such a lapse was allowed to occur”. Its current
reporting policy, if maintained, means that such lapses should not occur in the
future.
32.52
The Commission considers that the order‟s current arrangements for
dealing with alleged child sexual abusers are robust and are being
implemented.
Gardaí
32.53
The Gardaí dealt appropriately with all complaints reported to them.
DPP
32.54
The DPP decided not to prosecute in 1994 because of the delay
factor. The approach of the DPP to the issue of delay is examined in Chapter
5.
493
Fr Quinton*100
Chapter 33
Introduction
33.1
Fr Quinton is a member of a religious order. He was born in 1935 and
ordained in 1960. He worked abroad for a number of years and then returned
to Ireland. He was involved in formation, retreat and vocation work on behalf
of his order for a number of years and spent some time studying abroad. He
worked in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1985 to 1992.
33.2
There are two allegations of child sexual abuse against Fr Quinton.
These have not been proven or admitted but concerns remain about his
suitability for public ministry.
He has not been exercising public ministry
since 1999. He lives in one of the order‟s houses and may engage in internal
ministry only.
33.3
There is written evidence from 1978 that there had been some
difficulties between Fr Quinton and his students when he was involved in
formation work with the order. This does not show any evidence of difficulties
relating to sexual abuse.
However, it emerged in 1996 that there were
concerns about inappropriate sexual behaviour with students.
Appointment to Archdiocese
33.4
In September 1984, Fr Quinton applied to Bishop Carroll (who was in
charge of the Archdiocese of Dublin at the time) asking to be appointed to a
specific parish in the Archdiocese for a year.
He had already received
permission from the head of his order. This application was treated in the
normal way. It was referred to the Advisory Committee on Extra-Diocesan
Priests. The committee agreed to consider him for a parish appointment.
The head of his order told Bishop Kavanagh that he was a priest in good
standing. The head of the order also said that Fr Quinton wanted to work in a
parish “in order to assume more personal responsibility for his life. In recent
years he has experienced difficulties in living in community life. However, he
has sought direction and counselling in these matters”.
Bishop Carroll
accepted him for a temporary appointment in the Archdiocese of Dublin and,
in February 1985, he was appointed temporary curate until summer 1985. In
100
This is a pseudonym.
494
fact, he stayed there beyond that time and, in May 1986, he applied for a
further extension of a year. This was approved in July 1986. In 1987, Bishop
Carroll noted that he had heard high praise from the parish priest about Fr
Quinton‟s work.
In 1988, he applied for and was granted a three-year
extension, that is, until 1991. He continued in his position when this period
expired.
Complaint
33.5
In 1991, a young man with an intellectual disability who was working in
a sheltered workshop run by the St John of God Hospitaller Services told the
workshop manager that he had been sexually abused by a priest while he
was staying in a hostel for young people. Fr Quinton used to visit the hostel
but was not formally appointed to it.
The workshop manager told the
manager of the hostel and she also reported to Dr Patrick Walsh who was the
director of psychological services in the St John of God order and had
responsibility for ensuring that child protection policies within the order were
carried out. The young man, who was aged 20 at this time, told Dr Walsh that
the abuse had started when he was about 15 or 16. He alleged that the
abuse had started with seductive behaviour towards him in the hostel. This
was followed by oral sex in the priest‟s home. He also alleged that Fr Quinton
had given him money from time to time. The young man told a similar story to
the manager of the hostel.
33.6
The hostel manager informed the parish priest of the allegation and
the parish priest told Bishop Murray, who was the area bishop.
He told
Bishop Murray that a psychologist thought there was “something in it”.
Bishop Murray informed Monsignor Stenson.
Bishop Murray spoke to Fr
Quinton who denied the allegations. Fr Quinton said that the young man
used to visit him in his house, they listened to music and watched videos and
he did give him a “few quid” on occasions. The young man‟s brother had
come to his house on a number of occasions and made allegations against
him.
33.7
Bishop Murray then spoke to the hostel manager.
The hostel
manager told Bishop Murray that he was convinced that it was the young
man‟s own story and he was not being put up to it by his brother. The hostel
manager had “grilled” the young man twice and his story was consistent with
495
what he had told Dr Walsh. The manager had also spoken to Fr Quinton,
who had denied the allegation and said that no such accusation had ever
been made to him (even though he told Bishop Murray that the brother had
made such an allegation).
33.8
Bishop Murray spoke to Dr Walsh, who advised that, even though the
complainant was an adult, the health board should be informed because he
had an intellectual disability.
They agreed that Dr Walsh would meet Fr
Quinton.
33.9
Bishop Murray met the head of the order. The head told him that Fr
Quinton had a poor relationship with him and with the authorities of the order
but that there had been no sex abuse issues. Bishop Murray told Fr Quinton
to see Dr Walsh and he agreed. Bishop Murray also told him to stay out of
the parish for a period. Dr Walsh met Fr Quinton. Dr Walsh did not consider
he was meeting him in order to carry out an assessment but Bishop Murray
seems to have considered that was the case. Dr Walsh saw his role as
dealing with a child protection concern within the St John of God services. He
told the Commission that Fr Quinton understood his role. The Archdiocese
usually referred priests against whom child sexual abuse allegations had
been made to Dr Walsh for assessment.
The Commission accepts that Dr
Walsh saw his role as dealing with a child protection concern within his
employment but considers that he should have explained this clearly to
Bishop Murray and should have not become involved in reporting to Bishop
Murray or anyone else in the Archdiocese or the order about the alleged
abuser.
His subsequent reports and advice to Bishop Murray, while they
may not constitute a formal psychological assessment, do include
assessments of Fr Quinton.
33.10
Dr Walsh reported to Bishop Murray that he was quite certain that Fr
Quinton was not a paedophile but that he had blurred the boundaries of
appropriate behaviour.
33.11
In a report compiled in January 1992, Dr Walsh concluded that there
was a ring of truth to the allegation. He said that Fr Quinton staunchly denied
the allegation. He described the priest as a “pugnacious” person who had a
history of being in dispute with his superiors in the order but “inquiries there
496
indicate that they never had any suspicions of homosexuality or sexual
deviations”.
33.12
In March 1992, having been notified of the matter by Dr Walsh, the
director of community care in the health board convened a case conference.
This was attended by Dr Walsh and a number of social workers.
The case
conference concluded that it was impossible to “confirm or refute the
allegations”. The health board considered that the hostel manager had acted
responsibly and there was no contact between current residents of the hostel
and Fr Quinton.
33.13
Dr Walsh reported to Bishop Murray about the case conference and
his own dealings with Fr Quinton. He reported that Fr Quinton had denied the
allegations.
Dr Walsh understood from Fr Quinton that these were the first
allegations of their kind against him and, as they were unsubstantiated, he
could not ask him to receive treatment. He did not believe Fr Quinton was a
risk but he should be warned that his relationship with the complainant was
inappropriate. He also recommended that Fr Quinton have a change of
duties. If he was to be allocated parish work, the parish priest should be
made aware of the allegations and that he should be careful about any
involvement with residential homes for children or young people.
End of Archdiocese appointment
33.14
In April 1992, Fr Quinton sought a further year‟s extension to his
appointment to the Archdiocese of Dublin (his existing appointment had
already formally expired in July 1991).
Monsignor Stenson advised
Archbishop Connell to withhold his consent. He pointed out that, according to
Canon 693 of the code of canon law: “If the member is a cleric the indult101 is
not granted until he has found a bishop who will incardinate him in his diocese
or at least receive him there on probation. If he is received on probation, he
is by virtue of the law itself incardinated in the diocese after five years, unless
the bishop has rejected him”. Monsignor Stenson pointed out that Fr Quinton
could argue that he was received on probation in the Archdiocese of Dublin in
1985 (seven years earlier) and was, therefore, automatically incardinated
(see Chapter 3). However, he thought the more correct view was that Fr
101
An indult of exclaustration is the canon law procedure used when a member of a religious
order leaves the order to work in a parish.
497
Quinton remained a member of his order. Monsignor Stenson was concerned
that the time for incardination would run from 1988 and it was, therefore,
important that no automatic incardination be allowed. Fr Quinton was granted
a retrospective extension of a year which meant that his appointment would
end in mid 1992. The Archbishop made it very clear that Fr Quinton could
continue in ministry in the Archdiocese until then but that he would not be
willing to incardinate him permanently into the diocese.
Fr Quinton was
released from his diocesan duties as planned.
33.15
It would appear that the complaint was the main reason for the
unwillingness to incardinate Fr Quinton. However, there were indications that
he was a somewhat difficult personality and this may have been a factor. The
order seems to have believed that the complaint was the main factor. The
Archdiocese is not obliged under canon law to give reasons for its refusal.
Attempts to rejoin the Archdiocese
33.16
Immediately after he ceased working in the Archdiocese in mid 1992,
Fr Quinton‟s superior wrote to Archbishop Connell saying that Fr Quinton
wished to continue working in the Archdiocese. He proposed that Fr Quinton
would continue to live within the order but would be available full time for
archdiocesan duties.
Bishop Murray was consulted and he recognised that
there was a risk in such an arrangement. The Archdiocese was aware that
there were unresolved issues in Fr Quinton‟s relationship with his order but
did not know exactly what these were.
33.17
Fr Quinton was not allowed back to the Archdiocese but no formal
decision to that effect was issued.
He remained within his order but his
request for a return remained in place.
33.18
In 1995, at the request of the order, Dr Walsh saw Fr Quinton and
issued a report on the complaint made by the young man. He had offered the
young man and his brother a number of appointments in order to establish
what exactly was being alleged and they had not pursued the matter. He
concluded that the matter should be brought to a close as the case had been
effectively dropped because it was never substantiated and should
consequently not have any bearing on Fr Quinton‟s future life or work.
Bishops Murray and Walsh were informed of the report. Bishop Murray told
498
the Commission that he had no further dealings with the case as he was
appointed Bishop of Limerick in March 1996.
The St John of God order
continued to support the young man in its sheltered workshop until his death
in 2007.
Rumours and suspicions
33.19
In March 1996, the head of the order reported that he had met Fr
Quinton to discuss the allegations against him.
He wanted to bring the
allegations “to a conclusion”. He also spoke to Fr Quinton about the rumours
of improper behaviour which allegedly took place while he was master of
students in the early 1970s. This was the first time that a member of the
order had raised these rumours with Fr Quinton.
At a meeting with the
Granada Institute these rumours/innuendos were discussed. The conclusion
reached was that the rumours from the 1970s could not be substantiated and
the two brothers involved in the 1991 complaint would not be credible
witnesses. The head of the order then wrote to Archbishop Connell saying
that he, Fr Quinton and Dr Walsh had met and “all matters relating to the
allegations made … were thoroughly discussed”. He enclosed a separate
letter which included the information about the rumours from the time Fr
Quinton was a master of students. This separate letter does not seem to
have been received by the Archdiocese. It is not in the archdiocesan files
and Monsignor Stenson did not refer at all to these rumours when he next
dealt with the subject of Fr Quinton. The head of the order expressed the
wish that “this will bring the matter to a successful conclusion”.
33.20
In August 1996, the order proposed that Fr Quinton be appointed to
one of the parishes for which it had responsibility in the Archdiocese.
It
appears that the priest had been exercising ministry at an oratory in the
Archdiocese.
33.21
Monsignor Stenson recommended to Archbishop Connell that he not
accept the appointment of Fr Quinton to the parish run by the order and the
Archbishop did not do so. Monsignor Stenson argued that just because the
victim and his brother did not pursue the matter with Granada did not itself
establish that no incidents had occurred. Although the allegations remained
unsubstantiated they were never withdrawn and were never canonically
investigated.
499
33.22
Monsignor Stenson suggested to the head of the order that a
canonical investigation be held into the allegations. The head of the order
told Monsignor Stenson that Fr Quinton was living in one of the order‟s
houses and occasionally helped out in an oratory. Monsignor Stenson said
this involved exercising ministry in the diocese and the Archbishop would not
be happy with that.
The head then mentioned the rumours/innuendos but
said he could not provide details. Monsignor Stenson noted “I thought it was
an interesting revelation”.
The head of the order told Dr Walsh of the
intention to hold a canonical investigation.
33.23
In September 1996, Dr Walsh provided another report to the head of
the order.
This contained very detailed information about the 1991
complainant which he had obtained in the course of his investigation on
behalf of the St John of God order and contained the same analysis as the
previous reports.
It did not mention the rumours/innuendos of which Dr
Walsh was aware. This report was also provided to the Archdiocese. After
examining the report, the head of the order and his canon lawyer agreed that
a canonical investigation was unnecessary when a thorough investigation of
the case had already been carried out in 1992 by the health board.
33.24
In April 1997, Archbishop Connell said that if Fr Quinton was to be
allowed a diocesan appointment, the details of his case must be considered
by the advisory panel.
Fr Quinton agreed to this.
The advisory panel
recommended that Fr Quinton be comprehensively assessed by a
psychologist other than Dr Walsh and that further inquiries be made of the
parish priest.
If the result of these actions was satisfactory, the panel
considered that Fr Quinton could be appointed to one of his order‟s parishes
in the diocese. They recommended that he should not be reappointed in
isolation from his order as had happened in his earlier appointment.
33.25
Monsignor Stenson then effectively carried out his own investigation –
he spoke to the parish priest and to the hostel manager. The hostel manager
told him that he considered there was a ring of truth about the allegations.
Monsignor Stenson was impressed by this man and considered that his
“opinion should not be discounted lightly”.
500
33.26
In July 1997, the Archbishop was concerned to discover that Fr
Quinton was involved with a youth group; he discovered this from a
magazine. The head of the order told Fr Quinton to cease this involvement
and reported to Monsignor Stenson that he (the head of the order) had not
been asked for Fr Quinton‟s services nor had Fr Quinton been given
permission for this involvement.
Another complaint, 1998
33.27
In August 1998, a former student for the priesthood reported to the
order about events that had occurred in 1972/3 when Fr Quinton was in
charge of the students.
This particular student had reported to another
member of the order that Fr Quinton was abusing a young boy. He claimed
that he knew the abuse was occurring “for a fact” but nothing was done about
it. Shortly after this he was asked to leave the order.
33.28
After some time, he revealed the name of the victim and that he had
reported in 1973 to a number of members of the order.
The order has told
the Commission that concerns were expressed to two members of the order
at the time. One has been dead for many years but the other recalls being
approached by this man and concerns being expressed about Fr Quinton‟s
relationship with students. Concern was expressed in relation to one student
in particular but no specific allegation of abuse was made. Fr Quinton, as
well as being in charge of students, was also in a position of authority within
the order. The order member to whom the concerns were expressed did not
report the matter further. This seems to the Commission to have been due,
partly at least, to the position Fr Quinton had in the order. The order has told
the Commission that it is no longer possible for the person in charge of
students to be in such a position of authority.
33.29
In September 1998, a member of the order who had been a novice in
the early 1970s noted that Fr Quinton had a reputation among novices of
being sexually disinhibited in his contact with them and was prone to sexual
“acting out”. This was made known to Granada and is mentioned in the
report which was issued in November 1998.
33.30
In November 1998, another Granada psychologist issued a report on
Fr Quinton. As well as a personality analysis, this showed that Fr Quinton
501
had been alienated from the authority structures in the order for many years.
Fr Quinton was sceptical about the assessment and his life as a priest in
general. He denied the allegation of sexual assault and reported no erotic
interest in males. The report noted that Fr Quinton had gravitated towards
ministry with younger adults over the years and had enjoyed relating to young
adults more than older groups.
While Fr Quinton denied any sexual
misconduct, it was possible that a person with his profile could break other
boundaries including sexual boundaries.
33.31
The report concluded that Fr Quinton was not amenable to therapeutic
intervention due to his bitterness and resentment but should the allegations
be clarified, he might agree to attend a therapeutic programme.
33.32
The order decided to pursue the complaints made by novices in the
1970s. The allegations do not seem to have been put to Fr Quinton. In fact,
he seems to have heard of them only when he got the Granada report just
before he went abroad. The specific allegation of abuse does not seem to
have been investigated further nor was it put to Fr Quinton.
33.33
Fr Quinton was helping out in a parish at weekends at this time.
Withdrawal from ministry
33.34
In January 1999, due to the inconclusive allegations against Fr
Quinton, his involvement with the youth group, the Archbishop‟s discomfort
with him ministering in the Archdiocese and the repeated concerns expressed
over the years about his relationship with young adult men, the head of the
order asked him to have an assessment carried out.
therapeutic facility abroad for this assessment.
Fr Quinton went to a
A report was issued in
February 1999.
33.35
This report shows that, for the first time, Fr Quinton admitted that he
became aware of his homosexuality in his early 20s. He denied any activity
with others.
It was recommended that he participate in a residential
programme in order to address psychosexual issues and that he remain out
of ministry until such a programme was completed.
502
33.36
Fr Quinton was unwilling to take part in such a programme. The order
withdrew him from ministry because of his failure to comply with this
recommendation. The order reported all of this to the Archdiocese.
The
Archdiocese would not allow him to undertake any public ministry until his
difficulties were addressed. Fr Quinton was referred to a psychotherapist by
Dr Walsh. This therapist seems to have acted as an intermediary between
him and the order.
In November 1999, he reported that Fr Quinton had
attended 16 sessions and that he had not seen anything that would indicate a
danger of sexually abusing children during the course of his ministry.
However, this therapist clearly heard only Fr Quinton‟s version of events and
he was under the impression that the 1991 allegation against Fr Quinton was
“without substance”. He does not seem to have been aware of the concerns
in relation to the 1970s.
33.37
Many meetings were held within the order with Fr Quinton to try to
resolve the impasse. Fr Quinton argued that he was being considered guilty
and invoked canon law. The order consulted its canon lawyer who took the
view that removing the priest from public ministry could not be regarded as
automatically damaging his lawful good name and reputation and referred to
canon 682.2 which states that no religious has a right to a pastoral
assignment and can be removed from office.
33.38
The order did try to find suitable work for him. The delegate for the
order investigated the rumours/innuendos relating to the 1970s. The main
complaints were not related to sexual abuse but there were allegations that Fr
Quinton was over friendly with some students and there was excessive
drinking in the seminary.
33.39
The specific complaint about sexual abuse of a young student does
not seem to have been further investigated. This complaint was not made
known to the Archdiocese.
33.40
The problem remained that an allegation had been made and not
withdrawn. It was impossible to prove or disprove it. Nevertheless, it was
clear that both the hostel manager and Dr Walsh considered that there was
something in it. There were also concerns about Fr Quinton‟s relationship
with young men. The report from the overseas therapeutic facility is clear that
503
Fr Quinton needed residential treatment to deal with psychosexual issues and
that he should not be in ministry until this was completed. Fr Quinton refused
to take such treatment. The impasse remains. His psychotherapist, whom he
had been attending for six years, recommended in 2006 that he should be
allowed public ministry.
The Commission’s assessment
33.41
The woman in charge of the sheltered workshop is to be commended
for her prompt and caring response. The hostel manager also dealt well with
the matter and ensured that Fr Quinton did not have further access to the
hostel. The health board did not report to the Gardaí. The Commission
considers that it should have done so even though the complainant was an
adult at the time. He was an adult with an intellectual disability and so the
health board acted appropriately in organising a case conference.
33.42
The Commission considers that the Archdiocese was correct in not
allowing Fr Quinton back into ministry as serious concerns remain over his
behaviour.
It is also clear from his involvement in the therapeutic facility
abroad that he was less than candid in his dealings with the Church
authorities and Granada.
33.43
The order does not seem to have thoroughly addressed the complaint
about specific sexual abuse in the 1970s. The order did have a problem in
finding suitable activities for Fr Quinton who clearly was disenchanted with
the order but chose to remain in it.
33.44
The Commission is concerned about the role of Dr Walsh in this case.
The Commission recognises that Dr Walsh dealt appropriately with the
complaint in his role within the St John of God order. However, he should
have made it clear to Bishop Murray and to the order that this was how he
saw his role.
The Commission considers that he should have taken no
further part in assessing Fr Quinton because of the potential conflict of
interest between the interests of the young man and the interests of the
alleged abuser.
Dr Walsh does not accept that there was any conflict of
interest.
504
33.45
Communication between the order and the Archdiocese was
reasonable in this case.
However, neither the Archdiocese nor the order
seems to have adverted to the fact that Fr Quinton‟s original appointment to
the Archdiocese had ended and was allowed to continue without specific
sanction.
In fact, the Archdiocese nearly allowed Fr Quinton to become
incardinated by default.
505
Chapter 34
Fr Marius*102
Introduction
34.1
In August 1992, Monsignor Alex Stenson, the then Chancellor of the
Archdiocese, received a call from a mother alleging that her daughter, who was
now in her late twenties, had been abused by Fr Marius when she was 12 years
old in the 1970s. Fr Marius was then based in a parish on the north side of
Dublin. A preliminary investigation was ordered by Archbishop Connell and
Monsignor Stenson was appointed the delegate for the purpose of the
investigation.
34.2
The very next day Monsignor Stenson met the mother and daughter
and recorded their complaints. The abuse was alleged to have taken place in
the complainant‟s own home. She told Monsignor Stenson that when her
mother would make tea she would be left alone with Fr Marius and he would
put his hand down her top and feel her. She said that it was common for him to
hold girls‟ faces in his hands and to kiss their faces and lips.
She named
another girl who she said was subjected to this.
34.3
She recounted an evening where Fr Marius called to her home on the
pretext of taking her to a group meeting in the presbytery. When they got to the
presbytery, no one else was there. She said that he shut the door and began to
kiss her and removed her top and he then opened his trousers and
masturbated on her. After that evening she tried to avoid him and also avoided
any parish activities in which he was involved. Later she married and, like
many abused people, her marriage broke down because she developed a
repugnance to the sexual side of marriage. She was now anxious to ensure
that this priest no longer had the opportunity to abuse.
34.4
Two days after meeting the complainant, Monsignor Stenson met the
priest and put the allegations to him. He “accepted the apparent truthfulness”
of the account but said he had no recollection of the girl. He wondered how it
would affect his future as a priest and if he would be ruined. He then recalled
the girl and he wrote to Archbishop Connell to deny the allegations.
102
This is a pseudonym.
506
The priest’s background
34.5
Fr Marius was ordained in the 1950s. While a student in Clonliffe, he
was charged with indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl in a cinema. He was
acquitted and the District Court Judge at the time made it clear that it was not to
affect his future in the college.
34.6
His first appointment was as chaplain to a geriatric hospital.
Allegations were made while he was there that he was too close to a trainee
nun.
Archbishop McQuaid had the matter discreetly investigated and it seems
to have been decided that it was totally out of character for the priest.
Documentation about this complaint was discovered in the Clonliffe College
archive in 2004.
34.7
Fr Marius subsequently held appointments in a number of parishes.
He was a parish priest when the complaint was made in 1992.
Assessments and Church investigation
34.8
Following Monsignor Stenson‟s preliminary investigation, both the
complainant and Fr Marius were sent for a psychological assessment and the
consensus was that the complainant‟s account was more than likely to be true.
In September 1992, Monsignor Stenson informed Archbishop Connell that the
medical professional considered the matter “to be very serious” and “would
suggest we act immediately” and “that others are probably at risk”. Sometime
between 1992 and 1995, Archbishop Connell carried out a search of the secret
archives to ascertain if there were any previous complaints about this priest. At
that stage he would have discovered the records of the 1950s charge and
acquittal. Monsignor Stenson was not aware of any archival material when he
received the 1992 complaint. Further inquiries by Monsignor Stenson revealed
that many women felt uncomfortable in Fr Marius‟s company. They stated that
he was inclined to encroach on their personal space and was overly tactile.
There were rumours emanating from his period as parish priest that he had
fathered a child who was placed in foster care. Fr Marius denied this allegation.
It was not followed up by the Archdiocese. A priest colleague noted what he
referred to as a „hint of a pattern‟. He stated “I took no direct action on the
matter, other than always watchful, ready to take evasive action”.
507
34.9
A further medical report was obtained and the view of the second
medical practitioner was that the priest was in denial. It was also noted that he
expressed a worrying preference for working with children.
34.10
Around this time Fr Marius developed a heart complaint and had to be
admitted to hospital.
34.11
Eventually Monsignor Stenson thought that the best option for Fr
Marius would be to resign on health grounds. He would be given a number of
weeks to tidy up parish matters and leave with “dignity”.
34.12
A medical report in December 1992 noted that Fr Marius was not a
compulsive paedophile but there were concerns about his inappropriate
behaviour towards women. His treating psychologist concluded that he was
unlikely to abuse again in the future. The psychologist proposed that continued
counselling and adequate supervision would be sufficient safeguards.
The
psychologist made it clear that he believed the complainant unreservedly.
34.13
The Archdiocese paid for counselling for the complainant and offered
counselling to her mother.
Resignation
34.14
Fr Marius accepted the proposal regarding his resignation. There were
restrictions put in place on his activities. In March 1993, a house which he was
to share with his brother was bought for him. Bishop Murray, who was the area
bishop, told the Commission that he was aware of the background when Fr
Marius moved into his area. Fr Marius was allowed to say mass once a week,
to help with Sunday mass and hospital mass but he was not allowed any
involvement in any sermons or activities where young people were concerned.
These restrictions were to be put in the form of a behavioural contract.
34.15
By May 1993, the behavioural contract had not been put in place and
Monsignor Stenson noted that he was not being properly monitored at this time.
Eventually, towards the end of June 1993, a behavioural contract was drawn up
and signed. Under the contract:
He was to be in regular contact with a clinical expert, an unnamed
church representative and the local parish priest in connection with his
508
personal situation and pastoral involvement with the nursing home in
the area.
He was to keep in regular contact with his spiritual director.
He was to be willing to attend any qualified counsellor on the
understanding that the information would not be shared with a third
party
He was restricted from taking part in any apostolate involving children.
He was restricted from taking part in any pastoral work other than in
the nursing home.
He was restricted from physical contact with children beyond a
handshake.
Under no circumstances was he to allow himself to be alone with a
child whether inside or outside his place of residence.
He was not allowed to become familiar with the families and children
of the residents he came into contact with through his work in the
nursing home.
The parish priest of the parish where he lived was to be made aware
of the situation and he was to be allowed to discuss with him any
areas of concern about the manner in which he conducted his
relationships with children.
Failure to comply with any of the conditions could result in termination
of his employment as well as having to share accommodation with
another priest.
34.16
Despite the fact that this contract was signed in June 1993, it was late
1994 before the parish priest in the area where Fr Marius lived was told of his
situation by Bishop Murray. Bishop Murray told the Commission that the parish
priest in the area where Fr Marius did some ministry in nursing homes had
reservations about his ministering in those homes.
These reservations were
based on his manner which was “hard to take”. Bishop Murray said that he met
Fr Marius on several occasions between 1993 and 1995 to “ask him whether he
was abiding by his contract, that he was having no contact with children in the
locality and to enquire about his general wellbeing”. Bishop Murray told the
Commission that he was not responsible for the monitoring of Fr Marius.
34.17
In March 1995, concerns were expressed about the monitoring system
as Fr Marius had not returned to the Granada Institute where he was receiving
509
treatment. In November 1995, he was told by Bishop Murray to cease all work
in the diocese.
34.18
Bishop Murray had received reports from the nursing home where he
was ministering stating that he was unsatisfactory to work with as he would
invite young nurses back to his home and attempt to kiss them.
Notification to the Gardaí
34.19
The Gardaí were notified about the 1992 allegation in July 1995, but
as the complainant did not wish to make a statement to the Gardai, the matter
went no further.
Monitoring system, 1997
34.20
In December 1997 Monsignor Stenson spoke to a local priest about
the monitoring system that was supposed to be in place. The priest recalled a
vague conversation with Bishop Murray but said that nothing was mentioned
about a monitoring system. It would appear that the only system that was in
place at that stage was one where Bishop Murray inquired from Fr Marius if he
was behaving himself.
Further complaints
34.21
In October 1998, another complaint was made to the Archdiocese
about Fr Marius. This complaint was made to the parish priest of the area
where the abuse had taken place. The complainant‟s doctor felt she was not
physically or emotionally ready to make a formal complaint to the diocese at
that time. The Archdiocese did not pursue the matter with the priest. It did
make clear to the complainant that it would assist with counselling.
34.22
In July 1999 the Archdiocese received reports that Fr Marius was
offering his services to the priests of an English parish.
34.23
In February 2002, a complaint was received from a women who
claimed that she had been abused by Fr Marius. She alleged that the abuse
occurred when she was aged between 12 and 17 years old. The complainant
later revealed that she was the same person who had reported the abuse to the
parish priest in 1998. In April 2002, she requested answers to the following
questions through her solicitor:
510
How long did he serve in the parish where he abused her?
What other parishes did he serve in?
How many allegations were made against him?
When did the complaints come to the notice of the Archdiocese and how
were they dealt with?
When was he removed from ministry?
Did he have any contact with schools or institutions?
She also sought compensation for the trauma which she had suffered. She
claimed that Fr Marius raped her once and sexually assaulted and attempted
to penetrate her on other occasions. This abuse occurred while she was
assisting with parish activities.
34.24
In May 2002, the Archdiocese notified both the Gardaí and the health
board about this new complaint.
34.25
As the second complainant had not received a reply to her letter of
April 2002 to Cardinal Connell by August 2002, she instructed her solicitors to
take a civil action. Cardinal Connell told the Commission that the delay in
replying to her letter was due to a delay in his Solicitor‟s office.
She also
expressed her annoyance that the Church had notified the Gardaí without her
permission. Her civil case was settled in 2005.
The advisory panel
34.26
In June 1997, the advisory panel considered the case and
recommended that Fr Marius be given an appointment as a chaplain to a
community of nuns. In 2002 the panel recommended that he be made the
subject of a canonical precept. This was done and, under the terms of the
precept, he was:
forbidden from celebrating mass publicly; he was allowed to celebrate
mass privately but only with those who knew the reasons behind the
precept;
not permitted to celebrate the other sacraments with the exception of the
sacrament of penance, in situations of danger of death;
restricted from any kind of unsupervised contact with minors;
not permitted to wear clerical garb;
511
obliged to attend the Granada Institute for assessment;
obliged to remain in regular contact with his priest advisor;
told that any violation of the precept would result in suspension and
reduction of income.
34.27
In November 2002, the advisory panel recommended that his faculties
be formally withdrawn.
The panel was unsure whether the terms of the
canonical precept had been put in place.
The Gardaí
34.28
As the Gardaí had not received a direct complaint, they felt they could
not investigate the matter.
The health board
34.29
In November 2003, a social worker from the health board requested
an update on Fr Marius‟s situation.
34.30
She asked about monitoring and also whether the psychological
assessment was a “risk assessment” and if so what the results were.
34.31
In September 2004 the Child Protection Service of the Archdiocese
wrote to the social worker outlining the fact that Fr Marius lived with his brother,
that he was visited by his support priest once a week and that the parish priest
of the area where he was living had been informed of his past. The social
worker expressed satisfaction with these arrangements.
The Commission’s assessment
34.32
The Commission is concerned at the delays that occurred in this case,
in particular, the failure to respond speedily to a complainant‟s correspondence,
(even if it was a delay in the solicitor‟s office); the delay in putting the
behavioural contract in place; and the delay in notifying the parish priest about
his residence within the parish.
34.33
There was a major problem about the monitoring of this priest.
Despite the fact that he was the area bishop and was in touch with the priest on
a regular basis between March 1993 and the time of his appointment as bishop
of Limerick in February 1996, Bishop Murray failed to put a proper system in
512
place.
Bishop Murray has said that it was not his responsibility to put a
monitoring system in place. He told the Commission that his involvement was
“solely at the request and direction of Archbishop Connell.” Bishop Murray also
said that there was “no developed thinking” within the Archdiocese at this time
regarding how a known or suspected offender should be supervised.
Once
again, this case illustrates the weaknesses in the management of the
Archdiocese, the lack of communication between the authorities in the
Archdiocese and the failure to properly address the whole question of
monitoring.
In the Commission‟s view, there was nobody responsible for
monitoring.
34.34
The Commission is aware that further complaints have been received
in relation to Fr Marius. These complaints emerged during the currency of the
Commission‟s remit and are the subject of an ongoing Garda investigation.
513
Chapter 35
Fr Noel Reynolds
Introduction
35.1
In June 1992, Fr Noel Reynolds was appointed parish priest of
Glendalough, Co Wicklow. He was just under 60 years of age. This was his
first appointment as a parish priest. It was while there in 1994 that, according
to a statement given to Gardaí, concerns were expressed to a neighbouring
curate about his behaviour with young children. Among those concerns were
that he talked “dirty” to a group of children aged between 11 and 12, that he
spoke to them in a sexual manner, that he was in the habit of bringing young
children for walks, that he encouraged them to swim naked in the river, that
he would bring them in his car and have them sitting on his lap while driving
and that he exchanged sweets for kisses.
Some of the children spoke to
their school principal telling him that they did not feel safe with the priest.
These matters were reported to the chancellor, Monsignor Stenson, in
September 1995.
Background
35.2
Fr Reynolds had been a priest for just over 30 years at this stage. He
was ordained in 1959.
He had entered Clonliffe College in 1952 on the
personal recommendation of Archbishop McQuaid after he was deemed
unsuitable to train as a Holy Ghost Father. He had been educated by the
Holy Ghosts.
35.3
He had attended boarding school from the age of eight.
He was
extremely lonely and it was noted in a psychological report by Dr Patrick
Walsh of the Granada Institute in May 1997 that he (Fr Reynolds) recalled
going through classes and falling for young attractive boys although he was
totally unconscious of any sexual content to such attractions. Dr Walsh noted
that he was warned from time to time against special relationships by the
dean of studies.
35.4
His passage through Clonliffe was unremarkable but Dr Walsh noted
in his psychological report that it was clear from the time of his ordination that
Fr Reynolds had a special interest in ministry to children. It was also noted
that he had children sit on his knee during confessions.
514
35.5
He spent periods as a chaplain to a number of girls‟ schools before
being appointed in 1969 as a curate to Kilmore Road parish. He stayed in this
parish until 1978.
35.6
During the course of his curacy at Kilmore Road he wrote a very
unusual seven-page letter to Archbishop Ryan about the deep unrest that
was permeating his life.
He stated that “a feeling of unrest has been
continually with me for the past six months or so. I am upset by the quality of
my life…Would it be possible to live with the poor? To live with a family…”.
35.7
At this stage, Fr Reynolds had already begun abusing children. While
the Commission accepts that to live among the poor may be a commendable
desire for a priest, it is nevertheless surprised that this letter did not lead to
some further assessment of the suitability of Fr Reynolds for parish work.
35.8
The mother of one of the complainants told the Commission that he
was a constant presence in their home over a period of seven years while in
Kilmore Parish.
with them.
He would take meals with the family and watch television
He would ask permission to wish the girls goodnight and
unknown to her was abusing them in their own bedroom.
35.9
Fr Reynolds‟s friendship with children was noted in the area as he
constantly brought young children to his home as well as on outings to the
sea.
A priest of the diocese who was an altar boy around this time vividly
remembers the fact that young girls were constantly around Fr Reynolds.
While he himself did not witness any impropriety he felt that this kind of
lifestyle made Fr Reynolds vulnerable to having a complaint made against
him.
35.10
From 1978 until August 1983 he was in East Wall parish.
While
there, the parish priest went into Fr Reynolds‟s bedroom one evening to turn
off the light and noted a female lying asleep in his bed.
He considered she
was around 30 years old. According to his statement to Gardaí in July 1997,
he said he was shocked by the discovery but that he did not speak to Fr
Reynolds or anybody else about the matter.
515
35.11
It is highly unlikely that the female in Fr Reynolds‟ bed was a 30-year-
old woman given his admitted propensity for young children. Later, in his
garda interviews, Fr Reynolds admitted to abusing a female teenager over a
period of two days while he was in East Wall and the evidence strongly
suggests that it was that teenager who was in Fr Reynolds‟s bed.
35.12
In 1983 he sought a transfer from Dublin to an island posting so that
he could “be more in tune with the people”.
He told the Archbishop that he
wanted “to give away everything (or as much as possible) and separate
myself from life in Dublin where there are far too many distractions”.
35.13
In July the Archbishop told him that he had written to the Archbishop
of Tuam with a view to finding an island home for him: “Meanwhile I am
informing him of your identity which so far as been carefully concealed”.
35.14
When he did identify Fr Reynolds as the priest seeking the transfer,
Archbishop Ryan assured Archbishop Cunnane of Tuam “that Father Noel
Reynolds is a dedicated and devoted priest and will give good service to the
Islanders”. No assessment was done of him prior to assigning him to Tuam.
In his interviews with the Gardaí, Fr Reynolds admitted to abusing on the
island but did not identify the victims.
35.15
After leaving the island he spent some time in Bonnybrook parish and
studying prior to being appointed as a curate in Saggart, Co Dublin. In 1992
he was appointed parish priest of Glendalough and in 1994, the concerns
outlined above were raised.
The Church’s investigation
35.16
In October 1995, Archbishop Connell issued a decree initiating a
preliminary investigation into complaints from Glendalough under canon 1717
of the code of canon law (see Chapter 4). Monsignor Stenson was appointed
as delegate. It was not until late February 1996 that Monsignor Stenson met
the school principal to receive details of the complaint.
Because the
allegations related to matters outside the school, the principal had
recommended to the parents of the girls involved that they contact
Archbishop‟s House or the health board‟s director of community care. They
were unwilling to do that. Monsignor Stenson told the Commission that he
516
had made a number of attempts to contact the school principal before the
actual meeting took place.
35.17
At that meeting the principal claimed that there was no physical or
sexual abuse. He said that a parent had spoken directly to Fr Reynolds about
the matter and that Fr Reynolds indicated that it would stop. An indication of
how seriously the principal viewed the matter can be gleaned from his
statement: “There was gossip and innuendo - I never left him in a class on his
own subsequently. I didn‟t allow my daughter to be an altar girl. They were
saying he was talking about „making love‟ when the girls first spoke to me”.
35.18
Another parent was unhappy about getting a parent to approach Fr
Reynolds. He told Gardaí that in 1997 there were rumours that Fr Reynolds
was interfering sexually with local children.
He told Gardaí that he rang
Archbishop‟s House and said he wanted Fr Reynolds removed. Fr Reynolds
was removed the following July. The Commission could find no evidence of
this phone call in the Archdiocesan files.
Interview with Fr Reynolds
35.19
Despite the existence of a decree initiating a preliminary investigation
in October 1995, Monsignor Stenson, in his capacity as delegate, did not
meet Fr Reynolds until March 1996.
The following note, created by
Monsignor Stenson, and signed by him and by Fr Reynolds, records what
happened at that meeting:
“I informed Noel that I would let him hear the complaint and that he
need not comment or say anything - that he had his rights. I read the
file. Noel would agree that what I told him was a perfectly good
description of what had taken place. He was approached by a parent
[. . .] concerning his own daughter and he mentioned that his teenage
daughter used to snub me when I visited the house. They asked what
was wrong and she said that Fr Reynolds used to talk dirty.
Dirty talk?
I suppose jokes that you‟d be embarrassed to tell in the company of
their parents. Word games - a rhyme with sexy connotations.
517
And since [the parent] was with me I have stopped all this. For the
past two years it‟s been like that. It was my own folly rather than
maliciousness. I didn‟t want to frighten anyone or make them feel
unsafe.
Something similar had occurred in other parishes but never became
public.
If I‟d been assessed before going into Clonliffe I would have been a
repressed person and in need of affection. My mother died at 4.
Longing for love.
In 1959 in Dundrum Tech I freaked giving children a class on sex
instruction. I was always trying to disassociate the idea of dirt from
sex. I never allowed them take the Holy Name but allowed them to talk
sex.
Even in confession I overstressed the affection of God with children.
People knew the children sat on my knee but it never gave rise to
complaints.
A nun in East Wall made life difficult – wanted me in and out of the
school in a half an hour - because of my talks on the facts of life with
children.
I have spoken this over with some priest friends - but listening to [a
priest counsellor] I believe loneliness as a child has been a huge
factor. I would admit that my sexual orientation is towards children.
Children would arouse me sexually.
Noel agreed that he had taken children for walks and outings on his
lap in the car etc. On another occasion another group of children in
fourth class wanted to get into the river for a swim. Noel went away –
he had a towel in his car so they could dry their feet - if paddling. But
he didn‟t want to be around so he didn‟t know if in fact they had or not.
518
As the youngest in the family I never took charge of situations - but I
was afraid to say no. I have had nightmarish outings – rows on the
beach - stopping the bus for sweets – I was lacking in discipline. My
orientation to children has caused me much pain. I took on children
who were disadvantaged and some very bold.
Noel would look back on his judgement in this area of children with a
degree of suspicion. Folly he would call it.
I haven‟t noticed any „cooling off‟ in the Parish by adults. I have a
funny feeling that I never had an adolescence. At 63 my judgement in
these areas of children has been foolish. I think I can control it. It was
a habit. I think I can avoid bad behaviour anymore - imprudent - folly. I
will go for any help that is required.
I am considering taking a sabbatical in Moone103 with a possible view
to entering there. . .
I‟m still journeying myself.
But there is an
element of letting me be 70 million miles away from all this…the
school, allegations etc.”
35.20
Shortly after this meeting with Monsignor Stenson, Fr Reynolds met
the Archbishop. He expressed a desire to go to Moone to be a Cistercian
monk. This seemed acceptable to the Archbishop.
35.21
A meeting was held with the Abbot of Moone following which he wrote
to Monsignor Stenson as follows:
“I had a visit recently from Fr. Noel Reynolds. As you may be aware
he has expressed a wish to enter our Community. In the course of our
conversation he told me about some incidents involving children while
he was administering as P.P. in Glendalough. He had discussed the
incidents with the Archbishop who told him to ask me to contact you.
He seemed rather reticent about the whole matter and I didn‟t like to
press him because it is a very sensitive area. But it would seem that
there was a complaint made to Archbishops House.
103
Moone, Co Kildare is the headquarters of the Cistercian Order.
519
I would be glad therefore if you could let me know what you think I
should know about these incidents.”
35.22
In May 1996, a meeting took place between the Abbot and Monsignor
Stenson.
It was agreed that Fr Reynolds should be assessed by someone
like Dr Patrick Walsh with a view to assisting the monks and Fr Reynolds to
reach a decision. He did not join the Cistercians.
Advisory panel
35.23
In March 1997, the case was referred to the advisory panel.
Monsignor Stenson, as the delegate, produced a report for the panel. In April
1997, the panel concluded that it did not consider there was any firm
evidence that any incidents of child sexual abuse took place although it
seemed clear that some inappropriate behaviour did happen.
The panel
recommended that he undertake an assessment by Dr Patrick Walsh of the
Granada Institute. At this stage, over two years had elapsed and he was still
in the parish of Glendalough.
Dr Walsh’s assessment
35.24
In May 1997, Dr Walsh issued a preliminary report. He noted that he
could not give a definite conclusion until he had completed a more detailed
assessment of Fr Reynolds‟s personality and the history of the problem. He
stated that Fr Reynolds was capable of maintaining a positive and appropriate
ministry to adults. He was also capable of a positive and appropriate ministry
to children but in a limited way. He recommended that Fr Reynolds should
not be involved in non-structured or informal interactions with children in the
parish or in school. He also recommended that Fr Reynolds should confine
himself to the administration of the sacraments in the normal way but with the
proviso that, when he heard confessions, he maintain the proper protocol and
avoid physical contact and remain focused on the administration of the
sacrament.
He further stated that it would be inadvisable for Fr Reynolds to
be involved in teaching and that he should not be involved in matters dealing
with sexuality. Overall, Dr Walsh concluded that Fr Reynolds had shown
“considerable confusion in his relationships with children. He has confused
his own needs as a child with their needs and consequently has failed to
maintain appropriate adult-child boundaries.
In addition he has used
inappropriate language in his classes and interaction with children”.
520
35.25
Dr Walsh recommended that a priest support person be put in place
for him. This was not done until around July 1998.
National Rehabilitation Hospital
35.26
Despite this assessment, Fr Reynolds was appointed by Archbishop
Connell as chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Rochestown Ave,
Dun Laoghaire in July 1997. Granada was not informed of this appointment.
Bishop O‟Mahony told the Commission that he was the liaison bishop for
hospital chaplains. He called to the hospital as a result of concerns raised by
the director of nursing about Fr Reynolds‟s physical health.
He told the
Commission that it was during this visit that he became aware that Fr
Reynolds might have a problem with child sexual abuse. He arranged an
appointment for Fr Reynolds with Dr Walsh of Granada.
Bishop O‟Mahony
explained to the Commission that, at that time, he was not aware that Fr
Reynolds had already been assessed by Dr Walsh in 1997 nor was he aware
of the contents of Monsignor Stenson‟s interview with Fr Reynolds in 1996.
35.27
The National Rehabilitation Hospital caters not only for adult patients
in need of rehabilitation but it also has a children‟s ward and a school. The
hospital authorities were not informed of Fr Reynolds‟s history and did not
discover it until approached by a representative of the Prime Time
programme Cardinal Secrets in 2002.
The director of nursing, not
surprisingly, expressed great concern both to the Archdiocese and in the
media at the failure of Archbishop Connell to provide her or the hospital with
full details of Fr Reynolds‟s background. The hospital management wrote a
strong letter of complaint to Cardinal Connell. The Cardinal replied with an
apology in the following terms: “No explanation of mine could justify the fact
that the National Rehabilitation Hospital was not informed of this background
at the time of Fr Reynolds appointment as chaplain. I acknowledge that this
was a serious error, although made without realisation of the risk involved”.
35.28
It is difficult for the Commission to understand how, in 1997,
Archbishop Connell, in view of the information he had of complaints, could not
have been aware of the risk involved in such an appointment.
Over the
period of Fr Reynolds‟s time at the hospital, there were a total of 646 inpatients of whom 94 were aged 18 or younger. When it became aware of Fr
521
Reynolds‟s history, the hospital wrote to all 646 patients and established a
help line. None of the calls or letters received reported issues of concern or
required further action. The hospital also reported the matter to the health
board and introduced improved safeguards for its young patients.
Further complaints
35.29
In February 1998, the mother of one of Fr Reynolds‟s alleged victims
spoke to the chancellor, Monsignor Dolan, indicating that her daughter had
been sexually abused by a priest some 20 years previously. She did not give
the name of the priest nor was she asked for it. She was told that, as her
daughter was now an adult, she would have to make the complaint herself.
She was also told that if the complaint passed the threshold of suspicion it
would have to be reported to the Gardaí. The mother expressed herself very
pessimistic about the ability of her daughter to go to Archbishop‟s House.
The mother told Monsignor Dolan that she herself was receiving counselling
and he was assured she had someone to talk to about her situation. Given
that the matter was serious enough for the mother to receive counselling, the
Commission finds it strange that the name of the priest was not sought. Had
it been sought, Monsignor Dolan could have accessed Fr Reynolds‟s file and
seen his admissions to Monsignor Stenson made almost two years earlier.
35.30
Bishop O‟Mahony had a meeting with Dr Walsh and Fr Reynolds in
May 1998. Dr Walsh wrote to Bishop O‟Mahony stating that he was of the
firm view that Fr Reynolds posed no threat to children.
However, the
recommendation of May 1997 should continue to be observed that “Fr.
Reynolds is also capable of positive and appropriate ministry to children but in
a limited way” and he repeated that he should not be involved in nonstructured or informal interactions with children in the parish or in school.
35.31
At this stage Fr Reynolds was still acting as chaplain in the National
Rehabilitation Hospital.
35.32
Six days after Dr Walsh wrote to Bishop O‟Mahony, a social worker at
a drug treatment centre contacted the chancellor, Monsignor Dolan, to tell him
that a client had alleged that she had been abused by Fr Reynolds when she
was nine years old. She said that she had informed Bishop Eamonn Walsh of
522
the matter the previous week and he had advised her to write to the
Chancellor.
35.33
She said she was particularly concerned because Fr Reynolds was a
chaplain at the National Rehabilitation Hospital stating: “I regret to have to
write this letter but I feel it is important that you are alerted as the person is in
a Chaplaincy position”.
35.34
It is recorded that Archbishop Connell was notified of the social
worker‟s allegations in late May 1998. A handwritten note indicated that Dr
Patrick Walsh was sent a copy of her letter in early July 1998.
35.35
In July 1998, Archbishop Connell released Fr Reynolds from his duties
as chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital and nominated him as a
beneficiary of the Diocesan Clerical Fund (see Chapter 8). The hospital was
not informed of the reasons for Fr Reynolds‟s removal and assumed it was
due to his poor health. By this time, Fr Paddy Gleeson had been appointed
assistant delegate and was now handling the matter on behalf of the
Archdiocese.
35.36
This was notified to the social worker who had approached the
Archdiocese with the complaint against Fr Reynolds. She was told that he
would be living in monitored retirement pending the outcome of his case and
that he would be receiving therapy from Dr Walsh.
35.37
At this stage Fr Reynolds was not living in monitored retirement. He
was living unmonitored first with his sister and subsequently with his
stepmother.
Meeting with victim’s mother
35.38
In November 1998, the mother who had initially contacted the
Archdiocese and who now claimed that not one, but two, of her daughters
had been abused by Fr Reynolds had a meeting with Fr Reynolds and his
support priest.
At this meeting, Fr Reynolds acknowledged that he had
abused her daughters. This was confirmed by his support priest.
523
35.39
Following this meeting Fr Reynolds was medically examined and it
was noted that, in addition to his cardiac problems, he suffered from the initial
stages of diabetes and Parkinson‟s disease and that he should not live alone.
He had been living with his sister and later moved in with his stepmother. In
January 1999 a place was found for him in a nursing home.
Formal complaint
35.40
The Archdiocese held the view that no formal complaint had been
made. They therefore had not reported the matter to the Gardaí. In June
1999, the social worker contacted Fr Gleeson to inform him that the two
sisters had made contact with the Gardaí with regard to making a complaint
about Fr Reynolds. She told him both had been interviewed but had not made
statements.
35.41
Later in June 1999, Fr. Gleeson contacted the Gardaí at the sexual
assault unit at Harcourt Street and informed them that the Archdiocese had
received complaints of sexual abuse by Fr Reynolds while he was attached to
the parish of Kilmore West in the late 1970s.
35.42
It was clear from the statements made by the two sisters to the Gardaí
that the allegations were extremely serious. It was the worst case of “serious
and systematic abuse” that the drug centre social worker had encountered.
35.43
In August 1999, the priests in all the areas where Fr Reynolds worked
were contacted and brought together for a meeting to explain the situation.
35.44
A report in a newspaper in August 1999 alleged that the Gardaí had
launched a major investigation into rape claims by two sisters against an
elderly priest. It also alleged that the priest had used a crucifix in what was
described as a sick sex assault. The priest was not named.
35.45
Later in the same month, Fr Reynolds travelled to Rome to celebrate
the 40th anniversary of his ordination.
A further complaint
35.46
In October 1999, the Gardaí received a complaint from another
woman alleging that she had been sexually abused by Fr Reynolds while he
524
was a curate in Kilmore West in the 1970s. She alleged that, as she was
preparing for her communion, he sat her on his knee and put his hands into
her pants and put his finger into her vagina. It was alleged that this had
happened on five separate occasions prior to her making her first
communion.
Admissions by Fr Reynolds
35.47
Fr Reynolds was arrested in October 1999 for the offence of raping
one of the two sisters referred to above between the years 1971 and 1979.
35.48
The Gardaí carried out a very thorough investigation into this case. Fr
Reynolds was interviewed and he admitted widespread abuse.
He claimed
that he was pressurised into making a number of comprehensive statements
but the Commission could find no evidence of this. During the course of his
interviews with the Gardaí, Fr Reynolds admitted abusing one of the sisters
when she was 11 and the other when she was six years old and putting his
finger into their vaginas when they were in bed in their own home. He told the
Gardaí that he was sexually attracted to young girls and that they were not
the only two victims in Kilmore. He could remember about 20 girls in total;
there were others in East Wall and on the island in the diocese of Tuam. He
admitted inserting a crucifix into one girl‟s vagina and back passage. He said
he had admitted to their mother that he had abused her daughters. He said
he offered their mother £30,000 in compensation but that she did not accept
it.
35.49
Not only did he admit the abuse of the two sisters and several others
in many other parishes, but he also offered as evidence to the Gardaí, the
crucifix with which he had said he had abused one of the complainants. The
Gardaí did not confine their investigations to the area where the two women
claimed they had been abused but they also conducted inquiries in several of
the parishes where Fr Reynolds worked.
A very comprehensive file was
forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The DPP was
prepared to initiate a prosecution against Fr Reynolds and gave instructions
to that effect. Following representations from his solicitor about Fr Reynolds‟s
deteriorating health, and specifically the medically verified onset on dementia,
the DPP changed his mind.
525
35.50
The two sisters were bitterly disappointed with the outcome.
Other complaints
35.51
The Gardaí became aware of another 12 complainants. While nine
were prepared to make statements, the other three declined to do so. The
incidents ranged from fondling of genitals to touching around the leg area,
digital penetration, anal rape, attempted sexual intercourse, oral sex, actual
sexual intercourse and inviting the children to fondle his penis.
35.52
In many cases the abuse continued for between two and seven years.
35.53
In total, nine females and six males claim they were abused by Fr
Reynolds. They were aged between six years and 11 years at the time of the
abuse. Of course, he has admitted to many more cases of abuse, at least 20
in Kilmore alone.
Health board
35.54
A note on the health board file states that the matter was referred to
them in February 2001.
A second note in November 2002 states that “we
had decided to follow up on safety issues in relation to the above. I now
understand the man is deceased, so current living arrangements need no
further follow up”.
35.55
Fr Reynolds died in April 2002.
The Commission’s assessment
Archdiocese
35.56
This case was extremely badly handled by the Archdiocese.
Numerous indications of serious abuse and of admissions by Fr Reynolds
were ignored. The suspicions about Fr Reynolds surfaced during his time in
Glendalough in 1994. Despite the fact that the parents had no desire to go to
the Gardaí or to the health board, and wished the Church to deal with the
matter, it was March 1996 before any interview with Fr Reynolds was
conducted. He admitted to the complaints. He stated that something similar
526
happened in other parishes. No proper investigation was conducted into his
activities in other parishes. Despite this admission he was allowed to remain
on as parish priest in Glendalough until July 1997. The Commission accepts
that Monsignor Stenson only became aware of the complaints in October
1995.
35.57
In the interview with Monsignor Stenson in March 1996, Fr Reynolds
also admitted that his sexual orientation was towards children.
A record of
this interview is signed by Fr Reynolds. Again, despite this, he was given an
appointment in the National Rehabilitation Hospital. This appointment gave
him access to young children.
Subsequently, Bishop O‟Mahony became
aware that Fr Reynolds may have a problem with child sexual abuse but he
does not seem to have mentioned this to anyone else in the Archdiocese or,
indeed, to the hospital. This, the Commission believes, represents a major
breakdown in communications among those in overall charge of the
Archdiocese.
35.58
When the mother of two of Fr Reynolds‟ complainants reported to the
chancellor, in February 1998, that her daughter had been sexually abused by
a priest 20 years previously she was told that, because her daughter was an
adult she would have to make the complaint herself.
The Commission
recognises that she did not name the priest nor was she asked for his name.
She explained that her daughter was unlikely to go to the Church authorities
to complain.
35.59
When the social worker reported her fears that a priest whom she
claimed may have sexually abused one of her clients some 20 years
previously was currently working in a situation where he had access to
children, this also was ignored. She did name Fr Reynolds.
35.60
It seems to the Commission that a somewhat extraordinary approach
was adopted towards Fr Reynolds.
The situation was that, in 1994, the
Church authorities had received information about inappropriate behaviour by
a priest in Glendalough. They themselves had set up a preliminary
investigation and discovered that the priest in question had admitted a sexual
orientation towards children and to inappropriate behaviour in other parishes.
Yet, when an allegation was received from the social worker who specifically
527
named the priest as having allegedly abused the woman, the priest was
allowed to remain in the hospital for a further seven weeks.
35.61
There is no evidence that Bishop O Mahony related the contents of his
conversation with Fr Reynolds to the hospital management.
When the
management of the hospital discovered in 2002 that a child sexual abuser,
unknown to them, had been assigned to them as chaplain, they took all
appropriate steps to ensure that their patients were informed and facilitated
should they have any complaints. Furthermore, it is commendable that they
put improved structures and appointment procedures in place to protect
children.
35.62
It seems to the Commission that, had the two women themselves not
complained to the Gardaí, the Archdiocese would have been quite happy to
ignore the fact that any abuse had taken place.
The Gardaí
35.63
The Gardaí carried out a very thorough investigation into this case as
described above.
Health board
35.64
There was no significant involvement by the health board in this case
because the matter was not referred to it until February 2001 by which time
the priest was living in a retirement home and died shortly thereafter.
528
Chapter 36
Fr Daryus*
104
Introduction
36.1
Fr Daryus was ordained in the 1950s and served in a number of
parishes throughout the Archdiocese, finishing as a parish priest. He died in
the 1990s.
36.2
In the early 1960s, another priest reported to the Archdiocese that Fr
Daryus was involved with a young girl. It is not known what age she was and
there is no documentary evidence about the matter. Fr Daryus was treated
by a psychiatrist in the 1960s but there is no evidence that this was related to
child sexual abuse.
36.3
There were complaints against Fr Daryus in relation to aggressive and
arrogant behaviour in the early 1990s and the Archdiocese was considering
removing him from his position when complaints of sexual abuse emerged.
Complaints
36.4
In October 1994, two complaints of sexual abuse were made against
Fr Daryus.
One was from a woman who complained that she had been
digitally raped by him in the late 1960s when she went to him for advice about
becoming a nun. She was 18 years old at the time. Fr Daryus admitted that
he had abused her but played down the extent of the abuse. This case does
not involve child sexual abuse so the Commission did not undertake an
examination of how it was handled. However, the Commission notes that the
Archdiocese was kind and helpful to this woman and that she was
extraordinarily charitable towards Fr Daryus.
36.5
The other complaint, which was also made in October 1994, was one
of child sexual abuse. A young man complained that he had been abused by
Fr Daryus in the mid 1960s while he was an altar boy. The abuse involved
groping and fondling his private parts. The complainant believed that others
were abused as well. The priest was known to the boys as “sexy [Daryus].”
36.6
Bishop O‟Mahony met the former altar boy complainant in October
1994. In November 1994, he met Fr Daryus.
104
This is a pseudonym.
529
Bishop O‟Mahony was not
then aware of the woman‟s complaint.
Fr Daryus denied the young man‟s
allegations and pointed out a discrepancy in dates.
believed the priest‟s denial.
Bishop O‟Mahony
Subsequently, the complainant corrected his
assessment of the dates and said that the abuse occurred in the late 1960s.
In December 1994, the complainant asked Bishop O‟Mahony to do nothing
further about the complaint.
36.7
Fr Daryus was persuaded to resign in December 1994. The usual
letter of thanks for his service was issued.
36.8
In October 1995, the complainant contacted Bishop O‟Mahony again
and said that he stood over everything in his statement of 1994.
Arrangements were made for counselling for the complainant.
O‟Mahony and Monsignor Dolan met Fr Daryus.
Bishop
The situation is rather
confusing but it seems that Fr Daryus denied the allegation when he met
Bishop O‟Mahony and Monsignor Dolan on 23 October 1995. Subsequently it
appears that Fr Daryus admitted the allegation to Bishop O‟Mahony.
This
admission was not immediately known to Monsignor Dolan and this initially
caused confusion when Monsignor Dolan was dealing with the complainant.
36.9
In any event, Monsignor Stenson reported the allegation to the Gardaí
in November 1995.
36.10
The complainant made a statement to the Gardaí in March 1996. Fr
Daryus was interviewed in the presence of his solicitor and he did not answer
any questions about the allegations. In August 1996, the DPP decided not to
prosecute because of the lapse of time since the alleged abuse had occurred
– approximately 30 years.
36.11
The complainant issued civil proceedings against Fr Daryus and the
Archdiocese in May 1996. Later in 1996, a settlement was reached with Fr
Daryus and the case against the Archdiocese was discontinued.
The
Archdiocese paid the priest‟s legal costs. A short time later, Fr Daryus died.
36.12
The complainant contacted the Archdiocese again in 1998. He met
Archbishop Connell in 2002.
He was in touch with the Child Protection
Service in 2005.
530
The Commission’s assessment
36.13
This priest was effectively removed from his position as soon as the
allegations were made in October 1994. The fact of two unrelated complaints
probably facilitated this move.
Initially Bishop O‟Mahony dealt well with the
altar boy complainant but the Commission is concerned that Monsignor Dolan
was not immediately informed of Fr Daryus‟s admission in October/November
1995.
531
Chapter 37
Fr Terentius*105
Introduction
37.1
Fr Terentius is a member of a religious order. He was born in the
1930s and ordained in the 1960s. He was a curate in the Archdiocese of
Dublin in the 1970s and 1980s. He served as a missionary for a number of
years both before and after his time in the Archdiocese. He also worked
publicly in Ireland on behalf of his order for a number of years before
complaints were made.
37.2
The Commission is aware of three complaints of child sexual abuse in
respect of his time in the Archdiocese of Dublin. Two of these complaints
were made within one month of each other in late 1994 - this appears to be
entirely coincidental but may be linked to the furore caused by the Brendan
Smyth affair. One complaint was made directly to the order and the other
was made initially to the Archdiocese. The third complaint was made in 1998
but the alleged victim did not personally make this complaint. In the course of
dealing with these complaints, Fr Terentius admitted to “a series of incidents”
involving a total of six boys, starting in 1960 and including incidents while on
the missions. His therapist was of the view that there were probably “loads”
of victims.
37.3
Fr Terentius has been living under strict supervision within the order
since the complaints were made.
First complaint, 1994
37.4
The first complaint was made to the order106 in November 1994 by the
sister of the victim. She said the abuse occurred when her brother (who was
now in his late 20s) was about 13 or 14 years old. Fr Terentius was well
known to her family and was trusted by them. He had brought the young boy
and another boy on a trip. Subsequently Fr Terentius asked the boy to help
him in his house. The boy was reluctant to go but his parents insisted that he
105
106
This is a pseudonym.
The complaints were dealt with by the head of the order in Ireland and/or the delegate
appointed to deal with child abuse. The term “head of the order” or the “order” is used
throughout to describe those in authority who were dealing with the complaints.
532
go.
Fr Terentius gave him dinner and alcohol. The boy was sick and Fr
Terentius brought him to his (the priest‟s) bed where he abused him.
37.5
At this stage the victim was not aware that a complaint was being
made. His sister wanted to be sure that Fr Terentius did not have access to
children but did not want anything else done.
37.6
The head of the order briefed the superior of the house where Fr
Terentius was living and asked him to supervise. Fr Terentius was ill at the
time so the matter was not put to him immediately. At this time, the order, like
most other Church and State institutions, had no procedure in place, other
than that specified in canon law, for dealing with such complaints but it
immediately set about putting one in place. The order reported the complaint
to Monsignor Alex Stenson, the chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dublin, who
told the order that he made inquiries of the area bishop and there was nothing
further to report.
37.7
In December 1994, the sister told the victim that she had made the
complaint. He then wanted to meet the order and see what kind of help he
could get. He did not want to press charges.
37.8
The superior and other senior members of the order met Fr Terentius
and told him of the complaint. Fr Terentius admitted that one incident of child
sexual abuse had occurred.
The order was in the process of dealing with
this complaint when the second complaint came to light.
Second Complaint
37.9
The second complaint was made in December 1994 to the
Archdiocese of Dublin by the victim and his mother. Monsignor Stenson met
them and made a detailed note of the meeting. The complainant was an altar
boy in the church to which Fr Terentius was attached when he was serving in
the Archdiocese. The abuse took place when the boy was about 13-14 years
old (around 1977). The abuse occurred in Fr Terentius‟s house and involved
hugging, embracing and fondling of private parts. The boy escaped because
the telephone rang. On the day following the abusive incident, he told his
mother what had happened. She confronted Fr Terentius who responded “I
was drunk”. She did not accept this. Some days later she suggested to Fr
533
Terentius that he go and see a charismatic priest with whom she was familiar.
She also spoke to this priest and asked that “the specific matter be dealt
with”.
He confirmed that they had discussed “the matter”.
The mother
suspected that there were other victims in the parish and she provided the
name of a family. Both the complainant and his mother said they would be
willing to confront Fr Terentius.
37.10
Monsignor Stenson advised the complainant and his mother to report
the matter to the Gardaí.
Monsignor Stenson contacted the head of the
order. The complainant subsequently said that Monsignor Stenson was “very
apologetic” on receiving his complaint and that he was very kind and
respectful to his mother and to him.
37.11
The head of the order contacted the mother immediately and
apologised. In a series of telephone calls, it was clear that the mother was
very forgiving. She said that her son did not propose to take any further
action. The order assured her that Fr Terentius had no contact with young
boys; he was not exercising any ministry and they were organising a
treatment programme for him. The order was not in direct contact with her
son at this time.
Restrictions
37.12
The superiors of the order had a meeting with Fr Terentius who now
admitted to a series of incidents involving six boys in total, including the
incidents involving the two complainants, and one involving an 18-year-old.
Fr Terentius was reluctant to go on a treatment programme but was
persuaded to do so. The order set out the following restrictions on him:
He could not leave the premises without the consent of the head of
the order;
He could have no contact whatever with young boys, including altar
boys;
He could have no contact with people who reported the incidents;
He could not exercise any pastoral ministry whatever, even evening
weekly mass (the priest found this last stipulation very hard to accept).
534
37.13
Arrangements were made to send him to Stroud. Stroud asked for a
letter setting out the concerns, examples of the problems and any other
helpful information. In his referral letter, the head of the order outlined the
problems as:
Alcohol abuse: this had been discussed with him on a few occasions and
he had not accepted that he needed to follow a recovery programme;
Child sexual abuse: “As a result of an investigation into a recent allegation
of sexual abuse by [Fr Terentius] of a young boy (13 to 14 years), some
twelve to fifteen years ago, we have become concerned about the
existence of other inappropriate sexual contacts by him with other boys
around the same time”.
37.14
Fr Terentius was sent to Stroud in January 1995. After assessment,
he first undertook the addictions programme and then the psychosexual
treatment programme.
Contact with complainants
37.15
In January 1995, the first complainant wrote to the order saying he
had no intention of making a formal complaint; he just wanted to ensure that
there would be no recurrence. The order replied offering an apology and
assuring him that Fr Terentius was not in a position to be involved in a similar
betrayal of trust.
37.16
The second complainant‟s mother continued to be in touch with the
order. The order arranged a meeting with this complainant which took place
in July 1995.
At the meeting, he said that he was pleased to have been
contacted, he did not want anything from the order, he did not intend to go to
court, he would like to meet Fr Terentius after he completed his programme,
he wanted to keep in contact in the future, and he was grateful for the
recognition – that was his main aim. The head of the order told him that he
was entitled to go to the Gardaí and seek a legal solution. The complainant
said he would not do that and was not interested in money.
He sought
recognition of the wrong done to him and an assurance that Fr Terentius
would not be in a position to do it again.
37.17
In September 1995, it emerged that Fr Terentius had been drinking
while in Stroud and had been doing so since March. He was transferred to
535
another treatment centre. The authorities in Stroud suggested that the order
should suspend him from any active public ministry and withdraw all priestly
faculties.
They also suggested that he be asked to pay for some of his
treatment himself as he was clearly fairly well off and was in the process of
buying a car in the UK which he intended to bring back to Ireland.
37.18
Fr Terentius wrote to the order expressing great shame and remorse.
The head of the order replied expressing his deep disappointment and
sadness but also his support.
He suspended Fr Terentius from public
ministry and was awaiting a meeting of the governing body of the order before
deciding on the removal of faculties. He asked Fr Terentius to pay half the
costs of his current treatment. Fr Terentius was shocked at the suspension.
37.19
The order was in touch with the first complainant‟s sister.
She
reported further concerns from another sister. They discussed contacting the
Gardaí; the order was willing to do so but the complainant did not want this.
37.20
Fr Terentius completed a primary treatment course in the second
therapeutic facility. As a place in Stroud was not available until December
1995, a new place had to be found. He moved to a care home for drug and
alcohol dependents in early November. In early December, he returned to
Stroud. He wanted to drive himself there but this was not approved and the
order arranged for him to be accompanied. He was asked by the order not to
use his car while in Stroud. In fact, Stroud took his car keys. (Later, the order
advised him to sell the car. He did this and gave the proceeds to the order as
part payment for his treatment; he subsequently made another contribution to
the cost.)
37.21
The personnel in Stroud were of the view that it was unlikely that they
would recommend Fr Terentius for return to ministry; they considered he was
manipulative and untrustworthy; the likelihood of a relapse was very high and
the order was going to have a “big problem handling the situation” when he
left Stroud. He left there and returned to live in one of the order‟s houses in
Ireland in July 1996. On leaving, the assessment was that he had “almost no
internal inhibitors upon which to rely once he leaves residential treatment”.
Because of this, it would “be an absolute necessity that a great deal of
external inhibitors be put in place” in order to help him manage his sexual
536
addiction.
He would need 24-hour monitoring and supervision and ought
never travel alone or be in public ministry.
37.22
On his return, the order imposed the following conditions:
He was not allowed to leave the house without the permission of the
superior.
He must be accompanied when leaving the house at all times.
He could not celebrate public mass.
He was not allowed be the principal celebrant in the oratory.
The order would look for a suitable job which would not include
contact with minors.
37.23
He also began individual and group therapy.
37.24
The order reported the allegations to the Gardaí in July 1996 in
accordance with the procedures of the Framework Document. The names of
the complainants were not given as they did not want this. The Gardaí were
told that Fr Terentius was retired and not engaged in any ministry.
37.25
Fr Terentius was given office work within the order. In a follow up
visit, Stroud was impressed with the supervision arrangements. Fr Terentius
followed the Stroud continuing care programme until 1998 and was also
seeing a therapist locally, initially once every two weeks and subsequently
once a month.
He was also attending AA meetings and was always
accompanied when he left the house.
37.26
In April 1997, Archbishop Connell wrote to the order (he wrote to all
relevant orders at the time) asking if the allegations against Fr Terentius had
been addressed.
He was not “looking for specific detail, merely simple
confirmation that the Diocese can close its files in their regard.
My sole
purpose in making this enquiry is to eliminate the risk that at some future
date, for whatever reason, the concerns raised may appear to have been
overlooked”. The order replied reassuring the Archbishop that the alleged
offences had been addressed, that Fr Terentius underwent appropriate
treatment and was now engaged in work which precluded him from contact
537
with young children and there was ongoing supervision by a senior member
of the order.
37.27
In November 1997, the wife of the second complainant telephoned the
head of the order to say that her husband was upset that contact had not
been maintained.
She said the head of the order had promised to keep in
touch and to arrange a meeting with Fr Terentius. The head did not think he
had promised this and there is no evidence in the documents that he had.
The head phoned the complainant and updated him on the current status of
Fr Terentius.
He explained that the order had been advised against a
meeting between the complainant and the priest but that, if the complainant
wanted it, it would be arranged. The head then met the complainant and his
wife in December 1997. The complainant said that the order had not been in
touch since the last meeting over two years earlier. He was angry and not
sure what he wanted. He talked about a financial settlement and about going
public. He said he wanted counselling and to meet Fr Terentius. The head
pointed out that it is not recommended that victims meet their abusers. This
complainant was not entirely convinced about this but agreed to wait until
after counselling. The order was in touch with him several times during 1998.
Third complaint, 1998
37.28
The order was also in touch with the first complainant‟s sister and, in
May 1998, she alleged that her sister had also been abused by Fr Terentius.
37.29
The order offered to meet the sister who had allegedly been abused
but she did not want to make a complaint. The allegation was not put to Fr
Terentius as there was no specific complaint or allegation.
37.30
Meanwhile, Fr Terentius was continuing with the Stroud continuing
care programme.
He was expressing some unhappiness about his work
environment, particularly his treatment by his immediate superior.
These
complaints were, in the Commission‟s view, relatively trivial and the order was
very patient in dealing with them.
37.31
In June 1998, the order again met the second complainant.
The
complainant said he had become very angry and aggressive since starting
counselling. He felt that the fact that the order was paying for the counselling
538
meant the Church was still in control. He intended to cease counselling. He
talked about a financial settlement but did not want to go to court. He said he
could use money for a holiday and for counselling over which he would have
control.
37.32
There was another meeting in July 1998. The head of the order told
the complainant that Fr Terentius had agreed to meet him and that he (the
head) would be present at the meeting. The question of compensation was
discussed. The head told the complainant and his wife that the order was not
responsible for the priest‟s transgressions. The order wanted to keep the
question of compensation separate from the pastoral response. The order
did not want to get involved in paying money to any parties and refused to
take any legal responsibility for the action of one of its priests.
37.33
In July 1998, the first complainant‟s mother rang to complain that the
order had not kept an appointment with her. It would appear that such an
appointment had not been made. She was looking for compensation for her
son as he was on expensive medication. The head of the order met this
complainant and his parents. His sister contacted the head of the order and
told him that she had contacted the health board for the area in which Fr
Terentius was living but was told that the abused person would have to be in
contact. She said she had also reported to a young priest in her parish soon
after the incident happened and nothing had been done.
37.34
In September 1998, the second complainant told the order that he was
considering legal action if the order did not make some offer. The order
continued contact and meetings with both complainants and their family
members. Both complainants wanted an out of court settlement and were
mainly looking for expenses.
37.35
In November 1998, the head of the order met Monsignor John Dolan,
the chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dublin, to update him on developments
in this case.
37.36
The first complainant wrote directly to Fr Terentius seeking his medical
expenses. Fr Terentius replied offering him about one third of the amount
claimed and said that this was all he could afford. The complainant accepted
539
this and also accepted the order‟s offer of a charitable donation to cover some
of the medical expenses. This was arranged with a charity which specialises
in helping victims of abuse; the order regarded arranging this as part of its
pastoral response.
37.37
In December 1998, the second complainant met Fr Terentius. The
meeting was mediated by the head of the order. Fr Terentius apologised to
the complainant and the meeting was amicable. Subsequently, Fr Terentius
sent him an unsolicited sum of money.
37.38
The order remained in touch with the complainants in 1999.
37.39
At this stage, Fr Terentius was still engaging in individual and group
therapy. He now wanted some of the restrictions removed as he considered
that the two complainants seemed to have settled matters with him. In July
1999, he complained to the order about not being allowed to go on holidays
alone.
In May 2000, his therapist recommended that he should not be
allowed to travel alone. In October 2000, the therapist pointed out that Fr
Terentius was working fine in therapy but there was no evidence of how he
would be in another environment. She suggested gradual change “maybe”,
but no drastic change. She mentioned that Fr Terentius had written his life
story, copies of which he was distributing to his friends, but it did not refer at
all to the sexual abuse and she wondered if the sexual dimension of his life
had been integrated.
At her suggestion, the order contacted Stroud for
advice on this issue. Stroud urged caution.
37.40
In November 2000, the order discovered that the priest had been
drinking and he admitted he had not attended AA since 1998. He was still
agitating to be allowed to holiday alone. He argued that a holiday was “a
fundamental human right”.
The head of the order replied that the right of
children to be protected from abuse was a superior right.
37.41
In June 2001, Fr Terentius‟s therapist said she could not achieve any
more but said that the priest did need ongoing support. She considered that
he “is by no means free or cured of the underlying concerns” but that he
thought he was and his discontinuation of counselling indicated this. The
therapist said he should go back to AA and she did not recommend
540
holidaying alone. He did go back to AA and remained angry at the continuing
restrictions.
37.42
It is notable that Fr Terentius‟s perception of the views of his therapist
was often markedly different from those views as recorded by the head of the
order.
Granada report, 2001
37.43
In September 2001, Fr Terentius was sent to the Granada Institute for
a reassessment. Stroud was no longer providing this service. The head of
the order provided Granada with a summary of the priest‟s situation from
notes which he had compiled over the years.
37.44
The
report
from
Granada
was
issued
in
November
2001.
Psychometric testing was carried out and the following documents were taken
into account: the referral letter from the order, the summary of notes from
therapists provided by the order and the priest‟s life story (which, as is noted
above, did not make reference to sexual abuse).
37.45
The Commission considers the Granada report to be seriously
deficient in many respects:
The report states that two allegations of sexual abuse were made but
that he had not admitted to any others – this is not true; he had
admitted to several incidents involving six boys. Further, his therapist
in the initial stages of his treatment had expressed the view that there
were likely to have been “loads of victims”. Granada pointed out to the
Commission that the therapist‟s views were not substantiated.
However, it is clear from the order‟s referral notes that he had
admitted to abusing more than two boys.
The report states that the two boys were aged 17 at the time – this is
untrue, they were aged 13/14. Granada told the Commission that this
information was reported by the priest and that the assessment was
based “on the assumption that the ages of the victims ranged between
13 years to over 16 years”.
The report states that he had “successfully completed a treatment
programme for sex abusers in 1996”.
541
The Commission finds it
surprising that this can be stated when the full report from Stroud was
not seen by Granada and that Granada did not ask for the full report.
The report states that he “continues to have therapy on an individual
basis” – it is not clear if this is true. He seems to have been seeing a
spiritual advisor but not a therapist at this stage.
37.46
The report concluded that Fr Terentius:
was at low risk of sexually re-offending;
needed to be supported in his present alcohol free state;
should continue to avoid any unsupervised contact with any children;
should continue with counselling to deal with his anger;
should be allowed to go on holiday and travel abroad without
restriction.
37.47
As a result of this assessment, Fr Terentius was allowed to travel
abroad on three occasions with a company specialising in holidays for older
people.
All his travelling companions were aged 50 or over.
He was
forbidden to interact with minors while on holidays. The head of the order told
the Commission that he felt bound by the findings of the Granada report
which recommended that he be allowed to travel.
37.48
Fr Terentius continues to live within the order and is subject to the
restrictions described above.
The order maintains an “open door” policy
towards the complainants – they can get in touch whenever they want.
The Commission’s assessment
Church authorities
37.49
Responsibility for the wrong done in clerical child sexual abuse cases
rests squarely with the offending priest.
The authorities cannot undo the
wrong but they can help to mitigate the harm by dealing properly with the
complainants and the offender. In this case, the Commission considers that
the order dealt well and quickly with the complaints. It dealt sympathetically
with the complainants and did all it could to contribute to their healing
process. It is clear that the complainants consider that their complaints were
well handled.
542
37.50
The Commission considers that the order dealt well with Fr Terentius.
He was immediately removed from ministry and placed in therapeutic care. A
considerable amount of money was spent in attempting to rehabilitate him.
After he returned to Ireland he was well supervised and monitored.
His
superiors displayed considerable patience in dealing with him.
37.51
The Commission is very concerned that the assessment carried out in
the Granada Institute in 2001 did not take account of the full facts. The
conclusions reached may be justified but, on its face, the assessment is, at
best, questionable.
Communication between Church authorities
37.52
The Commission recognises that members of religious orders are
subject to the rules of their order and complaints against them are dealt with
by the order even if the priest in question was attached to the Archdiocese
when the alleged abuse occurred. The Commission is concerned that this
may mean the Archdiocese is not fully informed about abuse which occurred
under its aegis. In this case, the Archdiocese was informed of the complaint.
The Archdiocese informed the order of the complaint made to it and left it to
the order to deal with it.
There was no further communication until
Archbishop Connell contacted all relevant orders in 1997. In this case, the
absence of further communications between the order and the Archdiocese is
not a major issue as the order was closely monitoring all Fr Terentius‟s
activities.
However, in general, the Commission is concerned that the
Archdiocese does not require more frequent updates on the current status of
religious order priests who abused children while under its aegis.
Gardaí and health board
37.53
The order did report to the Gardaí but, as the complainants in this
case did not want to make a complaint to the Gardaí, there was no Garda
investigation. Similarly, there was no contact with the health authorities.
543
Chapter 38
Fr John Kinsella
Introduction
38.1
Fr John Kinsella was born in 1948. He was ordained in Dublin in 1973
for a diocese in the UK. From September 1973 to December 1973 he served
as a temporary replacement for the parish priest in Enniskerry who was ill.
The arrangement for this temporary replacement was made by the Dublin
Archdiocese.
All the complaints of child sexual against Fr Kinsella abuse
which are known to the Commission arose during this period. He moved to
work in his UK diocese in January 1974.
He had various problems which
resulted in his spending some time in Stroud and he was suspended from
priestly duties for a period in 1993/1994. The Commission has no evidence
that these problems were connected to child sexual abuse.
38.2
There are a number of complaints of child sexual abuse against Fr
Kinsella. He has been convicted in respect of two boys and has served a
term of imprisonment. His present whereabouts are unknown.
Complaint, 1995
38.3
The first complaint to the Archdiocese of Dublin concerning child
sexual abuse by Fr Kinsella was made in March 1995.
This followed
revelations by the complainant in late 1994 and early 1995 in an RTE radio
programme and a Channel 4 programme.
38.4
Monsignor Alex Stenson met the complainant in March 1995.
Monsignor Stenson suggested that the complainant make a formal complaint
to the Gardaí and that he take advice from his own solicitor. However, the
complainant recalls that the manner in which those suggestions were made
was aggressive and that he left the meeting feeling considerably annoyed.
38.5
Following that meeting the complainant did make a complaint to the
Gardaí.
38.6
The complainant alleged that he and his brother had both been
abused by Fr Kinsella while Fr Kinsella was attached to Enniskerry parish. Fr
Kinsella had met the complainant‟s brother on a Dublin diocesan pilgrimage
to Lourdes shortly after he was ordained. After his return, Fr Kinsella visited
544
the boy‟s home on the north side of Dublin and befriended his family.
offered to take the boy to Enniskerry.
He
On the first such occasion in
Enniskerry, the boy was required to sleep in the priest‟s bed and was then
sexually assaulted by him. Two weeks later, he again called to the boy‟s
home, collected him and brought him to Enniskerry, where he again sexually
assaulted him, this time forcing him to have oral sex.
38.7
A short while later, Fr Kinsella took the two brothers to Enniskerry and
on the first available opportunity, had the complainant sleep in his bed and
sexually assaulted him.
He also abused the complainant on another
occasion in the presence of a third boy.
Church inquiries
38.8
Monsignor Stenson commenced an immediate inquiry into the
allegations made by the complainant. He attempted to obtain an address for
Fr Kinsella. As a result of various efforts on Monsignor Stenson‟s part, a
priest in the UK telephoned Monsignor Stenson and informed him that Fr
Kinsella was staying with him and that he and the local parish priest were
aware of certain “goings on” with regard to Fr Kinsella. Eventually Fr Kinsella
contacted Monsignor Stenson by telephone in June 1995.
Monsignor
Stenson suggested that he come to Dublin and meet him and the diocesan
solicitor. He also suggested that Fr Kinsella bring along his own solicitor.
The specific complaints made by the complainant were not discussed during
this conversation. Fr Kinsella did confirm that he had acted as a relief priest
in Enniskerry and knew of the complainant.
38.9
It appears that Monsignor Stenson did not meet Fr Kinsella.
Garda investigation and conviction
38.10
The Garda investigation was in progress.
A number of other
complainants made similar allegations to those made by the two brothers. A
comprehensive investigation was carried out.
38.11
In February 1999, Fr Kinsella was convicted on two counts of sexual
assault on each of the brothers. He was sentenced to a term of eight years in
prison; five of these were suspended.
2001.
545
He was released from prison in May
Civil claims
38.12
The first complainant sought help from the Archdiocese to meet the
cost of counselling fees.
The Archdiocese offered a victim support
representative to the complainant. Negotiations did not resolve the areas
under discussion and legal proceedings were issued in October 1997. The
proceedings were settled in February 1999. The complainant‟s brother also
settled his civil claim with the Archdiocese in September 1999.
Disappearance
38.13
Prior to Fr Kinsella‟s release from prison in May 2001, his brother
wrote to Archbishop Connell regarding his plans for Fr Kinsella on his release.
The Archbishop replied that he had raised the matter with his bishop in the
UK diocese.
The UK bishop signalled that he intended sending a
representative to see Fr Kinsella before his discharge. The note contained
the views of the bishop, namely that Fr Kinsella should voluntarily seek
laicisation, in default of which the diocese would request that Rome deal with
the matter. The bishop did not consider that he had an obligation to assist Fr
Kinsella financially.
The Archdiocese of Dublin, at this stage, had no
authority over, and no responsibility for, Fr Kinsella.
38.14
Fr Kinsella seems to have disappeared after his release from prison.
He did not contact his own bishop. He was not required to report to the
Gardaí as the Sex Offenders Act 2001 (see Appendix 2) was not yet in effect.
38.15
His UK diocese told the Commission in 2007 that they had no address
for him.
The Commission’s assessment
38.16
This was a difficult case for the Archdiocese because it involved a
priest over whom it had no jurisdiction at the time the complaints were made
nor did it have any easy way to contact him. Monsignor Stenson did make
considerable efforts to contact him and did succeed. The Gardaí carried out
a thorough investigation which resulted in his conviction and imprisonment.
38.17
It is a cause of concern that his current whereabouts are unknown but
this is the case for many sex offenders.
546
Fr Laurentius*107
Chapter 39
Introduction
39.1
Fr Laurentius is a member of a religious order. He was born in 1935
and ordained in 1966. He spent a number of years working in Africa. He
then returned to Ireland where his main activity was as chaplain to a
vocational school in Dublin from 1973 to 1983. He subsequently spent a
number of years working in parishes in a first world country. Since 1994, he
has been living in one of his order‟s houses in Ireland and, since 1996, he has
not been allowed any public ministry.
39.2
Fr Laurentius is a promiscuous man who has had numerous sexual
relationships with women in all of the countries and areas in which he
ministered.
He claims that his sexual relationships were all with adults.
There are two complaints from named underage girls in Ireland.
Complaints while working abroad
39.3
While he was working abroad in the first world country, in 1990,
complaints were made about his relationships with adult women.
A nun
reported to the local head of the order and the local bishop that a number of
women were disturbed by his behaviour and a formal complaint was made by
one of these women. Fr Laurentius had been counselling her in respect of
her sexual abuse as a child and her marital difficulties. A sexual relationship
developed between Fr Laurentius and this woman. She complained that he
was exploiting her and she was concerned that he would abuse other
vulnerable women.
39.4
The local head of the order108 discussed the matter with Fr Laurentius
and with the bishop. Fr Laurentius denied that there was any exploitation
involved; he said the woman had initiated the sexual contact and he had
succumbed out of human weakness. Later, he told the local bishop and the
head of the order that the woman had withdrawn the allegation and
apologised. The head of the order told the bishop that he hoped the incident
was “over and done with”. There is no evidence that either checked whether
107
108
This is a pseudonym.
The term “head of the order” is used to describe a person in authority in the order. Sometimes
this is the actual head, sometimes his deputy and sometimes the delegate.
547
or not the woman had, in fact, withdrawn the allegation. The bishop agreed
that Fr Laurentius should continue in his parish duties.
39.5
In January 1994 another woman contacted the order to complain that
she had been indecently assaulted by Fr Laurentius.
She had reported the
assault to another priest in the parish who, although he thought she was
fantasising, told her to contact the head of the order. Fr Laurentius made an
apology in writing to this woman and accepted that he had assaulted her.
The woman concerned accepted the apology but she was surprised and
concerned that he would be returning to parish work. She was aware of
concerns expressed by other women about him.
39.6
Fr Laurentius was sent for treatment to Jemez Springs, New Mexico in
February 1994.
In the letter of reference, the head of the order outlined Fr
Launentius‟s background; said that he “finds celibacy in great conflict with his
natural instincts and drives”; summarised the two specific complaints that had
been made and explained that the order had had other complaints about his
words and behaviour.
39.7
While in Jemez Springs, Fr Laurentius revealed that he had been
sexually abused as a child. He also revealed that he had a relationship with a
woman in Dublin whom he still loved.
He said he had been involved with
more than 40 women some of whom were under the age of 18. In an initial
report, the doctors and therapists considered that he had benefited from the
treatment but he needed strong support structures and safeguards and
recommended that he not take part in any pastoral counselling of women,
especially women who were needy.
He was not to engage in direct one-to-
one ministry with women nor have unsupervised contact with women.
39.8
In a later psychological report, it was stated that Fr Laurentius showed
a better understanding of his sexual patterns and was able to acknowledge
that some women were hurt by his actions. He had also admitted that he had
treated women as objects. However, he failed to appreciate how his position
as a priest coloured every aspect of his behaviour.
He was unable to
appreciate the power difference as a result of his being a priest. He also
continued to express serious errors in his thinking regarding the sexual
contact he had had with several youths.
548
The report concluded that he had
made significant gains while in treatment. However, he did require much
more work to maintain, integrate and further his treatment gains.
He
genuinely cared for most of the 40 women with whom he had been involved
but he assumed that, because he was not intentionally hurting these women,
his behaviour was healthy for a secular man. He was regarded as remaining
at considerable risk of more sexual contact with women and girls. This risk
was increased by the fact that Fr Laurentius considered himself to be “cured”
and a completely new man. As a result, it was highly recommended that he
not have any one-to-one ministry with women. It was acknowledged that he
would progress best in a community rather than working in isolation at a
parish or mission and that he should have a long-term counsellor.
The
psychologist also stressed that, just because his focus was on adult women, it
should not be forgotten that he had also had sexual contact with minors and
that this was a major past and potential problem.
39.9
The assessments and reports from Jemez Springs were sent to the
head of the order in Ireland. The head of the order in the country where the
complaints had been made had asked for this to be done – he was concerned
that such reports might be subpoenaed in his country.
Fr Laurentius
returned to one of the order‟s houses in Ireland in September/October 1994.
In accordance with the continuing care recommendations of Jemez Springs,
he signed a supervision contract with the order. A named supervisor was
appointed. This supervisor was informed of his background. The contract did
not mention any restrictions on ministry or on movement. The order has told
the Commission that, at this stage, he was forbidden to have any one to one
ministry with women. He was allowed to say mass in public and this could
have involved supply work outside the order‟s house.
First Irish complainant
39.10
In May 1995, the first Irish complainant reported to the Gardaí that she
had been abused by Fr Laurentius about 20 years earlier when she was aged
16 or 17.
This complainant had been abused as a child in a residential
institution and the abuse by Fr Laurentius occurred while she was living in a
hostel run by the order that had run the residential institution. Fr Laurentius
was a frequent visitor to this hostel and the complainant also visited him in the
order‟s house.
In December 1995, the Gardaí visited Fr Laurentius to tell
him about the allegation and they invited him to make a statement after
549
caution.
He declined. He spoke to the Gardaí “off the record” about his
difficult relationship with his father, his strong sexual urges and his difficulty
with celibacy. He admitted having made mistakes and was anxious to speak
openly.
He later made a statement to the Gardaí in the company of his
solicitor and he denied the allegations.
39.11
The order‟s advisory panel was informed of the allegation.
The
delegate of the order expressed concern at this meeting that other girls had
been visiting Fr Laurentius around the time the alleged abuse occurred. The
head of the order suggested that Fr Laurentius should remain where he was
and be monitored. It was considered that it would be unjust to remove him
without interview because his history was with adult women. It seems that
the advisory panel did not see the reports from Jemez Springs.
It was
decided that a preliminary investigation would not be started but instead any
investigation would be left to the civil law. However, there would be an initial
assessment. It was concluded that there was a “semblance of truth” in the
allegation from what had been gleaned from the assessment so far. It was
decided to put Fr Laurentius on administrative leave. The conditions included
no pastoral ministry and no public mass.
He was allowed to say mass
privately and to wear clerical garb. The bishop in the area where he was
living was informed.
39.12
Fr Laurentius told the head of the order that he remembered being
visited by a young woman but there had been no sexual contact.
39.13
Shortly afterwards, in March 1996, this complainant informed the
order‟s solicitors that she intended to take civil proceedings against Fr
Laurentius and the order. Such proceedings were never actually pursued.
There was no direct contact between this complainant and the order and it
does not appear that any offer of counselling was made.
39.14
The Gardaí, having investigated the complaint, did not recommend
prosecution because of the lapse of time and insufficient evidence.
The
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute as there had
been a considerable delay in making the complaint. The delay involved was
approximately 20 years.
550
Second Irish complainant
39.15
In March 1997, another complainant emerged. She complained that
she had been sexually abused by Fr Laurentius when she was 17. The head
of the order and subsequently the delegate met her.
She had been
introduced to Fr Laurentius by a friend who thought he could help her with
various problems she had, including sexual abuse by a family member when
she was between seven and ten years old. She said Fr Laurentius seemed
very kind and interested. He told her she would have to forgive her abuser.
He then told her she was frigid and he could help her overcome this. He
engaged in sexual activity with her over a year to a year and a half – this
included full sexual intercourse.
She described to the Gardaí how he
effectively had power over her and she would do whatever he wanted. The
abuse stopped when she met the man who was to become her husband.
This was when she was about 19. She had attended a therapist in 1994 and
1995 and had given a similar account of her experiences there – this was two
years before she complained to the order or the Gardaí. She had written a
letter to her then boyfriend in 1978 which indicated that she had been
engaging in sexual activity with Fr Laurentius before she met him (the
boyfriend).
39.16
Fr Laurentius denied to the order that any sexual transgression of any
kind occurred with this complainant.
39.17
The order and the complainant reported the allegation to the Gardaí.
Fr Laurentius told the Gardaí in September 1997 that he did have sexual
intercourse with her but that it was consensual and occurred when she was
aged about 26. He said: “It was a really close good friendship, natural and
happy and the sexual relationship developed at the end”. He said they had
been friendly for eight to nine years before this occurred.
39.18
The investigating Gardaí were convinced that the complainant had
been sexually abused. They recognised that this would be difficult to prove.
They recommended that Fr Laurentius be prosecuted under Section 3 of the
Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 1885. This makes it an offence to procure a
woman by false pretences or false representations to have unlawful sexual
intercourse.
Later, the DPP decided not to prosecute because the
551
complainant was over 17 when the abuse occurred and the evidence
suggested that she consented to the sexual activity.
39.19
The order notified the local bishop of the complaint but did not notify
the Archbishop of Dublin even though the alleged abuse occurred when Fr
Laurentius was working in the Archdiocese.
39.20
The second foreign complainant (who claimed she had been
indecently assaulted as an adult) then started legal proceedings in relation to
the sexual assault which Fr Laurentius had admitted.
There were
discussions between the order in Ireland and the order in the other country on
how to handle the claim. The head of the order in Ireland told the head in the
other country that Fr Laurentius was not in ministry and would not be. He
also told him that the report from Jemez Springs was “absolutely confidential”
to the head of the order in Ireland and could not be discussed.
List of women
39.21
In October 1997, Fr Laurentius provided the head of the order with a
list of the women who had been in his life. He had had a sexual relationship
with eight women while in Africa, 26 women while in Ireland, three women
while doing supply work abroad (in another first world country) and nine
women in the first world country where complaints were made (including the
two whose initial complaints had brought the problem to light). He gave the
ages of all these women including the ages of those whose names he did not
give. According to Fr Laurentius, they were mainly in their 20s or early 30s.
He named a number of 15-16 and 17-year-olds with whom he had a
“friendship”. He described the number of times he had sexual intercourse
with each individual.
He said “full intercourse rarely took place and
contraceptives were always used”.
The list included the second Irish
complainant, gave her age as 26 and said there was sexual intercourse once.
It also included the first Irish complainant, gave her age as 17 and described
the relationship as “friendship”.
39.22
Fr Laurentius was sent to the Granada Institute for assessment. It is
not clear what background information was given to Granada. It was not
given a copy of the Jemez Springs report but was aware that he had been in
Jemez Springs. The order explained to the Commission that this may have
552
been because the report stated that it may not be released to anyone without
the written permission of the priest.
Further, the delegate at the time
considered that the assessment by Granada was an opportunity to get a
second opinion and that sharing the Jemez Springs report might influence
Granada‟s findings.
A report from Granada in February 1998 stated that Fr
Laurentius‟s sexual orientation was towards adult females and there was “no
evidence of any erotic interest in children which precludes a diagnosis of
paedophilia”.
Granada concluded that Fr Laurentius had a well-developed
sense of social intelligence and elevated level of disinhibition. He had high
needs for excitement and stimulation and would flout convention in pursuit of
this. It was recommended that he continue individual psychotherapy. He
would derive little benefit from a strictly imposed structural regime. However,
he would benefit significantly if he could be empowered to negotiate a
mutually acceptable framework of accountability with his superiors. It would
also benefit him if he could be constructively employed so as to foster further
positive engagement in the religious community.
39.23
The order then proposed a new contract for Fr Laurentius. This would
involve, among other things, not celebrating mass in public or engaging in any
form of ministry. It would also require him to get permission to leave his
house and to tell the local superior where he was going.
Fr Laurentius
considered that this later proposal was an infringement of his rights and
dignity. It was suited for someone who had been convicted of child sexual
abuse. He considered that the Granada report had effectively cleared him of
any suspicion of child sexual abuse.
39.24
The advisory panel recommended the formal removal of his priestly
faculties and wanted him to sign the proposed contract. He was also to be
informed that he was not to be alone with any woman.
39.25
The order delegate met Granada in August 1998. Granada was firmly
of the view that the priest had been conducting adult relationships. Granada
considered that he had acknowledged his wrongdoing but the order delegate
was more sceptical – it was more a question of “notches in his gun”. The
concern of both the order and Granada at this stage seemed to be mainly the
question of integration of Fr Laurentius in his community and reconciling
conflicts in his life (between his vow of celibacy and his sexual activities).
553
Granada considered that the order was making itself into a type of guard for
Fr Laurentius and this could not continue. Granada asked why the order did
not tell him that he could not continue to be a member of the order.
39.26
Fr Laurentius himself thought there should be no restrictions as he
was not a paedophile and he was not involved with any woman at this stage.
The delegate and Fr Laurentius then met Granada.
Granada said that
restricting his ministry was not unreasonable given that, in all professions,
engaging in sexual conduct with a client would mean the end of the
professional career. All were agreed that he was not a child abuser.
39.27
The delegate met the second Irish complainant and her husband in
December 1998. She mentioned the possibility of a civil case. The delegate
concluded that there was probably some truth in what she was alleging.
39.28
In early 1999, the delegate met Granada to discuss the possibility of
limited ministry – this would involve saying mass in public but not allowing
confession or counselling, especially to women.
The record of the meeting
which was made by the order shows that Granada repeated that there was
nothing to show that Fr Laurentius was a child or adolescent sexual abuser.
They were in favour of his having limited ministry.
39.29
The advisory panel deferred consideration of the proposal that he be
allowed to return to limited ministry in order to enable a full dossier to be
prepared including all reports.
39.30
In May 1999, the order formally asked Granada to consider the
question of Fr Laurentius‟s return to limited ministry. Granada acknowledged
that their earlier report had concluded that Fr Laurentius was “not erotically
attracted to children, and consequently did not pose a threat of sexually
abusing children”. However, it had become apparent that he had difficulty
making himself accountable to the religious order and had a history of
repeatedly breaking ministerial boundaries and utilising his priestly status to
gain access to female company. Consequently, Granada felt that it could not
endorse his return to ministry with the public.
554
39.31
The second Irish complainant started civil proceedings and a
settlement of these proceedings has been reached.
39.32
Fr Laurentius continued to complain about what he described as the
“continuing and unjust denial of priestly ministry” and about the assessment
processes. The head of the order did not accept Fr Laurentius‟s view and
showed considerable patience in dealing with him.
The head of the order,
understandably, admitted to having difficulty in maintaining charity or even
hope in dealing with this “fool”. The advisory panel was firmly of the view in
2001 that there was no question of his return to ministry because his
violations were far too serious.
It recommended that he be allowed
concelebrate mass privately with other members of the order and hear the
confessions of other members of the order. The advisory panel was of the
view that there was “absolutely no question of child sexual abuse” where he
was concerned. The head of the order made it very clear to him that he was
unlikely to be granted priestly faculties ever again.
39.33
In 2003, the head of the order told Fr Laurentius that it had come to
his attention that Fr Laurentius was counselling a woman.
denied this.
Fr Laurentius
He was refused permission to officiate at a wedding. He was,
however, allowed to travel abroad to attend a wedding in 2005.
The Commission’s assessment
39.34
It would have been entirely understandable if the order had asked Fr
Laurentius to leave. The Commission considers that it is to its credit that it
did not do so and that it tried very hard, after the first Irish complaint was
made, to ensure that he was not a risk to girls and women.
39.35
The allegations made abroad are not within the remit of the
Commission, both because they do not concern child abuse and because
they are not related to the Archdiocese of Dublin. They are outlined here in
order to show what the order in Ireland knew about Fr Laurentius when they
were handling the complaints that are within remit. The first reported incident
may well have involved consenting adults but the fact that he accepted that
he had indecently assaulted the second woman who complained ought to
have been a major cause for concern. Such an assault is treated by canon
law in the same way as child sexual abuse (canon 1395.2).
555
39.36
The reports from Jemez Springs clearly show that he was considered
a danger to women in general and specifically mentioned that he had been
involved in child sexual abuse.
39.37
It was very clear that he was using his status as a priest and as a
counsellor to meet women with whom he then had sexual relationships. This
is clearly predatory exploitative behaviour and, at minimum, is unprofessional
conduct.
Doctors or therapists who engage in such conduct are liable to be
disbarred.
39.38
The Commission has noted that Church authorities seem to be
remarkably tolerant of breaches of their rules where sexual activity with adults
is concerned.
39.39
The Commission finds it very difficult to understand how Granada can
categorically state that Fr Laurentius was not involved in child sexual abuse
when there is evidence that he admitted to such abuse while in Jemez
Springs and when there are two complaints from 16/17 year olds in Ireland.
The Commission acknowledges that consensual sexual involvement with a 17
year old is not a crime.
39.40
The Commission finds Fr Laurentius‟s list of his sexual conquests
astonishing. The detail in respect of age and precise sexual activity is simply
unbelievable. It is highly unlikely that a promiscuous man would remember
such detail unless he actually kept a record. It is equally unlikely that he
would know or remember the ages of all the women with whom he had been
involved.
In the Commission‟s view, this list is compiled with a view to
establishing that he was not a child abuser. The Commission is even more
astonished that Granada regarded this as his acknowledgement of his
wrongdoing. The Commission considers that the common sense assessment
of the order‟s delegate (“notches in his gun”) is much more realistic.
39.41
The order did not tell the Archdiocese of Dublin about the complaints
at the time even though they related to Fr Laurentius‟s time in the
Archdiocese. The order did inform the local bishop where Fr Laurentius was
living.
556
39.42
The Gardaí dealt appropriately with this case.
557
Fr Klaudius*109
Chapter 40
Introduction
40.1
Fr Klaudius was a member of a religious order. He was born in 1957
and ordained in 1985. He worked in the Archdiocese of Dublin in a number of
different roles including hospital chaplain, prison chaplain, teacher, and in a
parish. He spent a short time abroad doing supply work and had different
positions in the management of the order. He was removed from ministry in
1995, was laicised and dispensed from the vows of his order in 2000 and died
in 2005.
40.2
He admitted to abusing a number of children but the Commission is
aware of only one formal complaint against him.
40.3
While Fr Klaudius was in the seminary, he had been assessed by a
priest psychologist. This assessment concluded that he had issues relating to
sexuality especially “difficulty over gender”. There is no written report of this
assessment and the order took the view that there was “no indication of [Fr
Klaudius‟s] problems existed during his formation”.
Shortly before the
complaint was received, he had attended a treatment programme at a
therapeutic clinic. His presence there had no ostensible connection with any
issues of sexuality or child abuse. During his time there, he revealed that he
had been sexually abused when he was five or six years old.
Complaint, 1995
40.4
The complaint to the order was made in July 1995. It related to events
which had occurred in the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1991 but Fr Klaudius was,
at this stage, working in a school outside of the Dublin Archdiocese.
40.5
In 1995, the complainant‟s father told a member of the order that his
son had been abused by Fr Klaudius four years previously when he was 17
years old.
The member of the order reported to his superiors who arranged
to meet both the young man and Fr Klaudius and to have a formal
investigation. The young man described how his father had arranged for him
to have therapy with Fr Klaudius because of some family difficulties. The
109
This is a pseudonym.
558
abuse had occurred during these therapy sessions which were held in the
order‟s house where Fr Klaudius lived. The abuse involved touching and
masturbation.
The boy told a friend about the abuse at the time and
discovered that she already had suspicions about Fr Klaudius.
40.6
The young man told a local diocesan priest about the abuse at some
stage. It is not clear when this was but the local priest thinks it was around
1995. This priest told the Commission that he advised the young man to
contact the order. The young man did not want to report the matter to the
Gardaí.
40.7
Fr Klaudius, in a sworn statement, admitted that something “of a
sexual nature” had occurred between himself and the boy. He also admitted
that similar incidents had occurred with another 17-year-old boy whom he did
not name.
40.8
The issue of reporting this complaint to the Gardaí and the health
board was discussed within the order and by its advisory panel.
complainant did not want it reported to the civil authorities.
The
However, Fr
Klaudius was working in a school at this time and had worked in a number of
schools. The order was reluctant to report, even though the legal advice it
received was that the complaint should be reported to the health board.
40.9
Fr Klaudius was immediately removed from the school where he was
currently working and from public ministry and sent to a therapeutic centre in
the UK.
In this centre, he initially admitted to having abused a number of
children. He gave the names of four others (apart from the complainant) and
the approximate dates of the abuse. Two of these were his students while he
was a teacher in the Archdiocese of Dublin. His method was to befriend
vulnerable boys through normal contact at school, or in a pastoral setting, or
he would create an image of himself as a healer to manipulate his victims with
his “special powers”. He would use his counselling sessions for his sexual
agenda which would arouse his victims and lead them to believe that they
had provoked his advances. The therapist suspected that the true extent of
his offending had not yet been disclosed and that he was a serious risk to
boys between the ages of 12 and 17.
559
40.10
Later, he admitted to abusing a number of other students at the
schools where he had taught and to targeting and grooming other unnamed
boys. He provided a list which included five boys and one girl. The abuse
was generally touching and masturbation but also included one act of
buggery.
40.11
He claimed that he had himself been abused by nine different people
during his childhood and adolescence.
40.12
In March 1996, the order‟s advisory panel agreed that the matter
should be reported to the health board and the Gardaí.
The Framework
Document was in operation and it provided for such reporting. One member,
who visited Fr Klaudius in the treatment centre, strongly supported reporting.
The order was still reluctant to do this.
40.13
The local bishop in the area where Fr Klaudius had most recently
been living was informed, but the Archbishop of Dublin was not, even though
all the known abuse had occurred in Dublin.
40.14
Fr Klaudius left the treatment centre in October 1996. The centre
considered that he had made progress but that he remained a risk to children.
His behaviour could not be cured but could be controlled. He accepted that
he used his position as a priest to create a position of trust and to abuse
young boys.
40.15
He returned to Ireland to live in one of the order‟s houses in the
Archdiocese of Dublin near a school in which he had admitted abuse. Neither
the Archdiocese nor the school was informed of the complaint or of his
presence in the Archdiocese. The order told the Commission that, in 1998,
the school was told of his record by the then chaplain, who was a member of
the same religious order.
40.16
Fr Klaudius entered into a behavioural contract with the order. This
provided that:
There was to be a weekly hour long debriefing meeting. There would
be no confidentiality at the meeting, as all offences would be reported
to the proper authority. This meeting was to be an examination of
560
everyday life, a review of day-to-day events past and planned,
including holidays and time away from the house in which he lived.
There would also be an evaluation of the meeting.
There would be a support structure for him which included group
therapy in the Granada Institute and regular returns to the UK
treatment centre.
He would have no ministry and he was not permitted to wear clerical
garb outside the house where he lived.
His only recreation was to be with other members of his order and
included writing, music, art, golf and adult swimming.
It was envisaged that he would partake in higher education in
computer studies.
40.17
His support group included some family members.
Soon after
returning to Ireland, he admitted to the order that he had abused a family
member.
40.18
The Eastern Health Board (EHB) was informed of the situation in
March 1997. The immediate impetus for this was the recent admission about
the family member (who did not live in the EHB area) and who was still a
child. The order‟s contemporaneous records show that a health board social
worker told the order that she intended to contact the school where the priest
had admitted to abusing children. The order expected that there would be a
“dig for victims” by the social worker.
40.19
In fact, the social worker did not contact the school. She told the
Commission that it was indicated to the health board that contact had been
made with the schools by the order. The HSE provided documentation in this
case only after it had received a draft of this report. The health board for the
area in which the family member lived was also informed. The abused child‟s
mother was told and so was the local bishop in the area where the priest had
been living.
40.20
Sometime in late 1997 or early 1998, Fr Klaudius began to groom a
boy who delivered milk to the community. He then went back to the UK
therapeutic facility which he had earlier attended for a further session of
561
residential therapy and remained there for about three months.
On his
return, he was referred to the Granada Institute for ongoing treatment and
considered leaving the priesthood and the order. Granada expressed the
view that an offender of Fr Klaudius‟s age had a better chance of living an
offence-free life if he left the order, earned his own living and made his own
way in life rather than remaining in the order. On the other hand, the head of
the order considered he had a better chance of not offending if he remained
within the order.
40.21
In April 1998, the advisory panel recommended that Fr Klaudius
should not have leave of absence and should be confronted with the fact that
he would be subject to strict supervision for the rest of his life.
40.22
In 1998, the complainant looked for financial support from the order.
The order said it would pay for counselling and training but would not give him
money. Some counselling was arranged.
Laicisation
40.23
In July 1998, Fr Klaudius declared his intention to leave the order and
seek laicisation. He asked for the continued support of the order to enable
him to continue therapy and to have a support person. He also looked for
financial support for accommodation and to enable him to train to become a
consultant in career guidance. He sought £6,000 for accommodation and
living expenses.
Not surprisingly, the order considered his proposal to
become involved in career guidance to be “wholly inappropriate”.
40.24
Fr Klaudius was still attending Granada at this stage.
He was
attending there once a week for either individual or group therapy.
estimated cost of attending for one year was about £7,000.
The
The order
consulted Granada about whether it was safe to allow him to live outside the
order‟s premises while awaiting laicisation.
Granada considered that it was,
but a member of the advisory panel was not so sure.
40.25
He received £6,000 from the order and moved out from the order‟s
house in August 1998. He started a FÁS course.
562
40.26
The order provided a short character reference for Fr Klaudius when
he left. The reference described him as “intelligent, bright and sensitive. He
is also industrious and hardworking” and went on to “recommend him for
suitable employment”. The reference was described by its author as “very
non-committal, but what else can I say”.
40.27
In December 1998, a family member told the order that Fr Klaudius
was angry with the order for sending him to the UK therapeutic centre. The
order met some of his family members for the purposes of maintaining
contact and monitoring how the family was getting on.
40.28
The Archdiocese of Dublin was informed of the application for
laicisation as various actions had to be taken by it in order to proceed.
40.29
In March 1999, the order gave the priest just over £1,800 to buy a
computer and related equipment. In August 1999, he sought and received
further financial support, another £6,000, from the order.
He was now
receiving a social welfare payment.
40.30
In April 2000, a community worker became concerned about his
access to young people taking part in a development programme. Granada
recommended that Fr Klaudius inform the programme officials about his past.
It is not known if he did or if anyone else did.
40.31
In November 2000, Fr Klaudius was granted a dispensation from
clerical celibacy and was removed from the clerical state. The Archdiocese
was informed of this. He wrote to the provincial of the order in June 2001
expressing his gratitude for the support both during and after his time in the
order. He specifically acknowledged receipt of a cheque for £20,000 which
helped him “enormously to begin a new life”. He also asked for forgiveness
for the shame he had brought on the order.
40.32
The Gardaí were informed of the complainant‟s allegation and of Fr
Klaudius‟s admission in relation to the family member but, as no abused
person made a complaint to them, there was no investigation.
40.33
Fr Klaudius died in June 2005.
563
The Commission’s assessment
40.34
The Commission considers that the order was wrong to delay the
initial reporting to the health board. Reporting did not occur until two years
after the complaint was first made. This was despite the fact that Fr Klaudius
was a teacher. In failing to report, the order acted against the clear advice of
its own advisory panel and its legal advice. The order paid undue regard to
the request/demand for confidentiality by the complainant and his father.
While the delay in reporting was wrong, the Commission does not consider
that the order attempted to obstruct, prevent or interfere with the proper
investigation of the complaint.
40.35
There was totally inadequate communication between the order and
the Archdiocese of Dublin about the complaint and the subsequent
admissions. The order did not tell the Archdiocese about the complaint made
or about Fr Klaudius‟s subsequent admissions of abuse.
The Commission
finds this extraordinary as the known abuse occurred mainly while he was
operating under the aegis of the Archdiocese.
The order did communicate
with other dioceses where Fr Klaudius lived at various times but,
extraordinarily, seems to have overlooked the Archdiocese of Dublin. This
also meant that the Archdiocese could not inform the schools or the
Department of Education.
40.36
The Commission is very concerned that the order had the clear
impression that the health board would inform the relevant schools and this
did not happen.
The failure to inform the schools where this priest had
taught and the Department of Education was a serious lapse by the health
board.
564
Chapter 41
Fr Francis McCarthy
Introduction
41.1
In December 1993, Fr Francis McCarthy sent a Christmas card to a
young man whom he had abused when that man was 11 years old and when
Fr McCarthy was attached to Dunlavin parish. He asked the young man to
contact him to talk about old times. This was followed up by a letter from Fr
McCarthy, explaining that he hoped to begin a new life on the missions in
South America. He also made a number of follow up calls.
41.2
Contact was made between Fr McCarthy and the young man and a
meeting took place at the priest‟s home. The young man revealed that he
was now on the dole, that he was separated from his wife and that he did not
have any prospects of work. He did intend trying to start a business.
The
young man asked for a loan of £10,000 to help get him started in his new
business. Fr McCarthy replied that he could only raise £5,000 and that he
would give it to him as a gift.
41.3
Over the next few months, the young man received a total of £12,000
from Fr McCarthy and reached an agreement that Fr McCarthy would pay an
annual sum towards the upkeep of his children.
41.4
In the meantime, the young man had told his wife about the fact that
he had been sexually abused by Fr McCarthy. She was adamant that he
should report the matter to the appropriate authorities as she was worried that
the priest might pose a threat to children on the missions.
41.5
The young man was not anxious to report the matter. He felt he had
taken money from the priest on the basis that the matter was at an end.
41.6
In October 1995, following a visit to the Rape Crisis Centre, he did
report the matter to the Gardaí and also to the health board. He said he had
been advised by the Rape Crisis Centre that he had suffered more damage
than he had at first thought.
41.7
On 1 November 1995, the Gardaí interviewed Fr McCarthy at his
home and during the course of that interview he admitted sexually abusing
the complainant in the 1970s.
565
Fr McCarthy’s background
41.8
Fr McCarthy was born in 1950.
He was ordained in 1974.
The
assessment of him was that he would not be suitable for a teaching post.
Following his ordination he was appointed a curate in Dunlavin parish. In
1979, he moved to Enniskerry parish as a curate, where he stayed until 1985.
He was then transferred to London to serve as a chaplain to the Irish
emigrant community in London.
From 1986 to 1994, he was a curate in
Ballyfermot parish and in 1994, he was appointed a curate in Howth.
Links with children’s homes
41.9
One of Fr McCarthy‟s classmates during the course of his studies in
Clonliffe was Fr Bill Carney (see Chapter 28). As students they visited a
number of children‟s homes.
The Commission has evidence that Fr
McCarthy visited St Joseph‟s, Tivoli Road, Dun Laoghaire and St Vincent‟s,
Drogheda, Co Louth.
41.10
According to a statement received from the current superior on behalf
of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary who ran St Joseph‟s, their visits began
in 1973 when they were deacons. She said they approached the home and
asked if they could help the children by engaging in activities with them. She
said their offer was accepted as they came from Clonliffe College which was
highly respected. She said they were in the final stage of preparation for the
priesthood and they had skills from which the children would benefit, for
example, sport, art and drama. They also helped with homework.
41.11
By the time they were ordained there were strong bonds between the
two priests and the groups of children they visited. The children were allowed
to visit Fr McCarthy‟s home and to go on holiday with him, sometimes
accompanied by a member of the religious orders who ran the homes, and
sometimes not. The Commission is aware of complaints from a number of
former residents in those homes who alleged sexual abuse by Fr Bill Carney
and Fr McCarthy during the course of those visits. Fr McCarthy was later
convicted of abusing a child in one of those homes (see below).
The
Commission believes that, from their student days, both Fr McCarthy and Fr
Carney used their positions as seminarians to target these institutions which
they knew housed vulnerable children.
566
The handling of the Dunlavin victim’s complaint
41.12
It is doubtful if the abuse by Fr McCarthy would have become known
prior to his getting a transfer to South America had he not made contact with
one of those whom he had abused, which led to that person going to the
Gardaí and to the health board as described above.
41.13
41.14
The young man who alleged he was abused by Fr McCarthy in
Dunlavin told the Gardaí that, on the first occasion in 1974 that he could
remember being abused, he was in the sitting room in Fr McCarthy‟s house.
The priest asked him to sit on his knee; he was about ten years old at the
time. He sat on his knee and he remembered the priest kissing him and
putting his tongue into his mouth. He said he was brought up to his bedroom
and he remembered the priest performing oral sex on him on this occasion.
The sexual abuse lasted between ten and 20 minutes on each occasion and
the incidents continued over the period 1974 to 1977 on Friday and Sunday
evenings of each week. He told the Gardaí that Fr McCarthy had attempted
to penetrate him anally but he did not ejaculate.
41.15
This complainant also alleged abuse by Fr Bill Carney. He said that Fr
Carney used to visit Fr McCarthy in Dunlavin between 1974 and 1977 and
that he and a friend from the area were invited to stay for a weekend at Fr
Carney‟s house in Ballyfermot. Again the abuse took the form of an attempt
by Fr Carney to penetrate him anally while he was sleeping in the bed with
him.
567
41.16
He told Gardaí that Fr Carney and Fr McCarthy took a group of boys
to Kerry for ten days and on one of those days Fr Carney fondled his penis
with his hand but no other abuse took place. He said that no physical force
was used by either priest on him to engage in these sexual acts.
41.17
He also recounted how he had obtained money from Fr McCarthy and
how his wife wished him to report Fr McCarthy to “head office” but that he had
told the priest that he would not do that. He gave the Gardaí a copy of two
letters and a card that he had received from Fr McCarthy.
Garda interview with Fr McCarthy
41.18
In his interview with the Gardaí, Fr McCarthy admitted that he
masturbated and kissed the complainant on a number of occasions.
He
denied any attempted buggery or oral sex and stated that it was his
recollection that the incidents continued over a period of two years and not
any longer. He said the abuse only occurred on Fridays.
41.19
He said that it was quite likely that he introduced the complainant to Fr
Bill Carney. He accepted that he and Fr Carney took two groups of altar boys
to Tralee for a week‟s holiday, but he said he was unaware of anything
happening to the boys during that period.
41.20
He acknowledged that he had given a cheque for £5,000 to the
complainant. He said that initially it was to be a loan and then he told him he
could keep it as a gift. He also admitted he had given further payments to
him and said that he felt he was being blackmailed by him.
Interview with Monsignor Stenson
41.21
Within 24 hours of his interview with the Gardaí, Fr McCarthy
contacted Monsignor Stenson. Monsignor Stenson saw him immediately, on
2 November 1995.
41.22
Fr McCarthy recounted his interview with the Gardaí in relation to the
complainant and stated that what he had told the Gardaí was true. He said
the abuse had occurred between 1975 and 1979.
41.23
He also told Monsignor Stenson that, in or around 1986, he had been
involved with another boy who was aged 12 and that there was inappropriate
568
touching. He said that there was nudity involved but no buggery. He said
that he had been involved in some horseplay with an 11-year-old boy in
Ballyfermot in or around the same time. He also admitted touching an 11year-old boy inappropriately in St Joseph‟s, Tivoli Road, around 1979/80.
41.24
He told Monsignor Stenson that in 1994 he had been visited by two
children whose mother he had assisted because she was a single parent. He
said that these two children were fearful of sleeping on their own and they
joined him in his bed. He said he left to go to another room but they came to
him again and he dozed off and when he woke up he found his hand between
the legs of the young girl. She was aged 11 at the time.
Leave of absence
41.25
On the same day, 2 November 1995, Fr McCarthy applied to
Archbishop Connell for a leave of absence, saying that Monsignor Stenson
would explain why. On that day also, Archbishop Connell issued a decree
initiating a preliminary investigation in respect of Fr McCarthy.
Further investigations
41.26
At this stage (early November 1995), the only complaint known to the
Gardaí was that of the Dunlavin victim.
Following the interview with
Monsignor Stenson it was clear that Fr McCarthy had admitted to other
sexual assaults. These were notified to the Gardaí by the Archdiocese and
they were followed up by the Gardaí.
41.27
The mother of the boy and girl who had stayed over with Fr McCarthy
the previous year was interviewed and she was of the view that nothing
untoward had happened and that her daughter remembered nothing. Gardaí
arranged for the two children to be interviewed and both said that they had
not been sexually assaulted by Fr McCarthy.
41.28
Contact was made with another young man, in the USA, and he too
said that he had no complaint against Fr McCarthy and that he had not been
assaulted when he was 11 years old.
41.29
Contact was made with the former resident of St Joseph‟s and he did
say that he had been assaulted by Fr McCarthy.
569
He gave a detailed
statement to Gardaí. He told Gardaí that there were three priests who used
to visit St. Joseph‟s and they seemed to know each other, but the one that
was there the most was “Fr Francis”. He told the Gardaí that Fr McCarthy
used to come in and tell them stories at night but he often told the stories from
beside his bed. While telling the story out loud he would feel the boy‟s penis
and his testicles.
41.30
He said that he was brought away on weekends with a number of
other boys. During some of those visits he slept with Fr McCarthy and they
French-kissed.
41.31
He said he also had been brought to Kerry but he had resisted any
attempt by the priest to sleep with him or to interfere with him.
41.32
He said that he had spoken to the person in charge at the home and
told her about the assaults but not in detail.
He said that after that Fr
McCarthy was gone and they never saw him or were taken out by him again.
Statement from St Joseph’s
41.33
The nun who was in charge of the group of children that included the
complainant from St Joseph‟s was interviewed by the Gardaí but she asked to
reserve her position.
She then gave a prepared statement in which she
denied that the complainant had reported any alleged abuse to her. In a
statement to the Commission, the current superior of the congregation said
that :
“At some stage between 1975 and 1979 after a weekend visit to Fr.
McCarthy‟s house a boy resident came back in a distressed state. The
Sister in charge of this boy‟s group noticed this and spoke to the boy
in question. He told her that while he was in bed he had been touched
on the penis by Fr. Frank McCarthy and that he did not like it, hence
the reason for his distress. The Sister discussed what had happened
with the boy and ascertained that the boy had ended up sharing a bed
with Fr. McCarthy. The Sister understood that the incident had
occurred inadvertently during the night. She considered the matter to
have arisen as a result of inadequate accommodation in Fr.
McCarthy‟s house. However, she was concerned for the boy and
spoke to Fr. McCarthy. She related the boy‟s distress to him. She
570
suggested that the boys would not go out for weekend visits thereafter
but that Fr. McCarthy could visit them in the home in Tivoli Road.
At that stage, child abuse was not something within the awareness of
the Sister in question and she did not appreciate the potential
significance of what had been disclosed to her”.
The nun said that she told no one at the time.
Meeting at Eastern Health Board offices
41.34
In addition to notifying the Gardaí, the Archdiocese also notified the
Eastern Health Board. A meeting was convened for 6 November 1995 under
the auspices of the Eastern Health Board. Those present included health
board officials from the different areas where Fr McCarthy had served, the
parish priests from those areas, the Gardaí, Monsignor Stenson, his assistant
chancellor, Fr Dolan, and the archdiocesan solicitor. Information in regard to
suspected victims was shared at the meeting and telephone numbers
exchanged.
A plan was drawn up to support any suspected victims and
arrangements were made to offer counselling if it was required. The parish
priests attending indicated that they would be making a statement to
parishioners the following day. The text of one of those statements is as
follows:
“Parish of St. Nicholas of Myra, Dunlavin
Statement – November 7th 1995
I am sorry to have to tell you today that a complaint alleging child
sexual abuse has been made to the Garda Siochana by a person who
is now an adult against Fr Frank McCarthy who worked in this parish
from 1974 to 1979. The Gardaí are investigating this complaint. Fr
McCarthy has sought leave of absence from the parish of Howth
where he has been stationed for just over a year and the Archbishop
granted this with immediate effect.
I am sure this is as much of a shock to you as it is to me. I knew
absolutely nothing about it until yesterday and the Archbishop heard of
it on Thursday last. He has asked me to tell you of his personal
571
concern and to assure you of his support. Along with Bishop Eamonn
Walsh, the area Bishop, he will be keeping in close touch with us here.
I will be available, and will try to respond to your concerns and
questions.
This is a difficult time for our parish and we need one another‟s
support. Let us pray for each other. Let us also pray for the person
who made the complaint and for Fr McCarthy both of whom must be
under great stress at this time.
I am leaving copies of this statement in the church and we are anxious
that all parishioners be informed.”
41.35
These statements were widely covered in the media. The publication
of this statement by the four parish priests provoked outrage from the former
chancellor and then judicial vicar, Monsignor Gerard Sheehy, who expressed
his feelings in a comprehensive letter to Archbishop Connell:
“As a starting-point, I refer to the recent public naming of Father Frank
McCarthy of Howth. I have never met this priest, and I know nothing
whatever about him or any of his activities.
My very serious concern is this.
He has now, at the Church‟s
instigation, been named in the public media as a priest against whom
an allegation of paedophile activity (a number of years back, it would
appear) has been made. I can find no evidence of any formal charge
having been laid against him, either in the ecclesiastical or in the civil
forum. I have been told that this matter was first raised by the Gardaí;
I do not know how far their investigations have gone. But I can find no
evidence of any serious enquiry being made in the ecclesiastical
forum – save only an obviously-leaked remark in the newspapers
about some fairly-recent meeting at Archbishop‟s House involving the
parish priests of those parishes in which he served before coming to
Howth- itself, if it happened, an invasion of his good name as a priest,
to the total disregard of the relevant canons of the Code.
Yet,
precisely and solely in the light of these facts, he has been publicly
removed from ministering in the parish of Howth.
572
The inevitable result, particularly in the current climate, is that his good
name as a priest has been invaded and seriously damaged, probably
irreparably”.
41.36
As in the Ivan Payne case (See Chapter 24) Monsignor Sheehy
displayed little or no empathy or concern for the victims even where there was
an admission by the priest that he had abused a number of children.
41.37
As Fr McCarthy had been a chaplain to a school at the time of the
revelations, the Department of Education sought information from the
Archdiocese about any other school appointments. These were investigated
and no complaints emerged.
Conviction, 1997
41.38
In March 1997, Fr McCarthy pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the
young boy from the orphanage and the young victim from Dunlavin.
That
victim asked that he not be sent to jail. He received a suspended sentence in
July 1997.
Attendance at Granada Institute
41.39
Fr McCarthy was referred to the Granada Institute in November 1995.
He received over 100 hours of therapy. In a 1999 report, Granada expressed
the view that he posed little risk of abusing children. While acknowledging
that he was at a low risk of re-offending, Granada nevertheless recommended
that he should not work with children or be appointed to positions which would
bring him into contact with children. It was also pointed out by Granada to
Monsignor Dolan that it “is the practice that while men are in Core Treatment,
they do not engage in ministry”.
Post 1995
41.40
Initially, Fr McCarthy indicated that he would apply for laicisation but,
as time progressed and particularly when the court case concluded and
resulted in a suspended rather than a custodial sentence, he sought
permission to resume saying mass. He was allowed say it in a convent in
Dublin.
573
41.41
Fr McCarthy featured on the Prime Time programme Cardinal Secrets.
This led to some annoyance among the nuns in the convent where he had
been given the facility to say mass. Many of them had no knowledge of his
past and wanted him removed because their convent was associated with two
schools. The Archdiocese had in fact informed the convent superior and had
understood that his presence there was by agreement.
41.42
The Archdiocese did try to accommodate him with various
administrative jobs but none proved very successful from an Archdiocesan
point of view. In November 2004 Fr McCarthy petitioned the Pope to allow
him to be laicised and this was granted in November 2005. Up until his
laicisation he was supported from the Clerical Fund Society.
The Commission’s assessment
41.43
This case provides a good example of a case which the Archdiocese,
the health board, the Granada Institute, the Gardaí and the Department of
Education handled the various complaints well. It must be acknowledged that
the Dunlavin complainant went to the Gardaí rather than to the Church
authorities in the first instance. The first complaint was made towards the end
of 1995. This was the time when the Archdiocese had decided to refer all
allegations to the Gardaí and the health board and the Framework Document
procedures were being introduced.
574
Fr Sergius*110
Chapter 42
Introduction
42.1
Fr Sergius ministered in the Archdiocese in the 1970s, 1980s and
1990s. He is now retired. There have been numerous complaints lodged
with the Archdiocese about him. These include complaints of child sexual
abuse, sexual violence and physical and emotional abuse of minors.
42.2
In 1993, the Archdiocese received a complaint that Fr Sergius had
been violent towards an adult woman and threatened her with rape. This was
investigated by the Archdiocese. It emerged that he and the woman had had
a sexual relationship in the late 1980s. She alleged that he had become
abusive and threatening towards her after the relationship ended. He told the
Archdiocese that he was now committed to the priesthood and that he did not
need help or treatment.
Complaint, 1995
42.3
The first complaint of sexually abusive behaviour towards a minor was
made to the Gardaí in October 1995. A 17-year-old girl and a 15- year-old girl
who were working in a restaurant alleged that Fr Sergius had sexually
harassed them in the restaurant. They said he had touched their legs and
abused them as they walked by.
42.4
Fr Sergius denied any wrongdoing. Witnesses were interviewed. No
witness observed any communication, either physical or verbal “which could
be of assistance in sustaining a prosecution”.
However, another waitress
said that she saw Fr Sergius attempt to put his hand on one of the girl‟s hips
but the advance was sidestepped. Another waitress told Gardaí that he had
touched her on the legs but she had not reported the behaviour.
42.5
In December 1995, the Gardaí brought the allegations to the attention
of the Archdiocese. The Gardaí told Monsignor Stenson that a file was going
to the DPP.
Monsignor Stenson was anxious not to interfere with the legal
process and did not interview the witnesses. He did speak to Fr Sergius who
110
This is a pseudonym.
575
denied the allegations and claimed that he had witnesses to prove his
innocence.
42.6
In April 1996, the DPP decided not to prosecute because the
allegations were in the nature of sexual harassment rather than assault and,
while the touching was inappropriate, it was not criminal in nature.
General complaints
42.7
In December 1996, a complaint was made to the Archdiocese about
Fr Sergius‟s behaviour.
It was alleged that, at a party in a parishioner‟s
house, he had been drunk, used offensive language and made racist remarks
to some foreign guests. He then began telephoning the parishioner‟s wife
and pestering her.
At a subsequent gathering, it was alleged that he was
again drunk and that he became aggressive and insulting. It was alleged that
he kissed a woman and pulled a young girl down on the couch to talk to him.
The girl “broke away from him in floods of tears”.
42.8
This complaint was relayed to the Archdiocese by the parish priest.
The parish priest confirmed that there were other complaints about Fr
Sergius‟s general behaviour.
Bishop Ó Ceallaigh met the parish priest and
then met Fr Sergius. The bishop had not been informed of previous incidents
known to the Archdiocese – he was not aware of the violent nature of the
relationship with the woman nor was he aware that the waitresses who were
sexually harassed were minors. The bishop advised Fr Sergius to get help
with his alcohol problem and offered to put him in touch with relevant
professionals. Bishop Ó Ceallaigh had no further involvement with the case
after this meeting. A further complaint was made in May 1997 which was
similar to the December 1996 complaint.
Sabbatical leave
42.9
Fr Sergius applied for sabbatical leave in 1997 to go to a foreign
diocese for two years. He was told that the Archdiocese would have to inform
the foreign diocese about the complaints which had been made and the
concerns which had been expressed.
Archbishop Connell met Fr Sergius
and told him that he would be welcome back in the Archdiocese after his two
years abroad. Archbishop Connell wrote to the bishop of the foreign diocese
576
saying that Fr Sergius was “a priest in good standing” but added the following
reservations:
He could be aggressive in his use of language, especially if he has
taken alcohol.
He had had a three year involvement with a woman; this had been
“dealt with and is now regarded as a thing of the past”.
He had been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a waitress
in a restaurant.
The “public authority did not pursue the matter.
Whatever may have happened would have been an isolated incident
under the influence of alcohol”.
The Archbishop expressed the view that Fr Sergius would act responsibly but
undertook to take him back immediately if this was requested. The violent
nature of his relationship with the woman and the more recent general
complaints were not mentioned in the letter.
42.10
A standard contract was signed between the Archdiocese, the foreign
diocese and Fr Sergius. The sabbatical leave was to run from September
1997 to September 1999. However, Fr Sergius returned home after just nine
months.
return.
The Archdiocesan records do not show the reason for his early
He was appointed to a parish in August 1998. It later became clear
that the parish priest was not told of the problems which Fr Sergius had had
in the past nor was his area bishop, Bishop Field.
Subsequent complaints
42.11
In February 1999, the principal and teachers of a school in Fr
Sergius‟s new parish complained to the parish priest about his conduct at a
meeting of the confirmation class. The parents alleged that Fr Sergius arrived
late, smelled strongly of alcohol and was truculent in his demeanour.
A
meeting was held involving the board of management, the principal and class
teacher and the parish priest. The parish priest expressed surprise that Fr
Sergius had been appointed as chaplain to the school. This seems to the
Commission to be an extraordinary statement.
As the Archbishop is the
patron of the school, the appointment of chaplain is delegated to the parish
priest, so the parish priest must himself have asked Fr Sergius to deal with
the confirmation class.
577
42.12
The parish priest expressed reluctance to speak to Fr Sergius
because “he has a short fuse”. The board of management then asked to see
the head of the Education Secretariat in the Archdiocese and Bishop Field
was informed. Bishop Field told the Commission that he had not been aware
of the various other complaints about Fr Sergius. He thought he was dealing
with a priest whose problems were entirely related to alcohol. Bishop Field
tried to get Fr Sergius to address the alcohol problem but Fr Sergius has
always asserted that he does not have a problem with alcohol. Bishop Field
told the Commission that he had no power to oblige Fr Sergius to get help or
treatment for his alcohol problem, about which he was clearly in denial.
42.13
In November 1999, another complaint was made about drunken and
inappropriate behaviour on the part of Fr Sergius.
In September 2001, a
woman complained that she was sexually harassed by him. He was drunk at
the time.
Physical abuse of altar boys
42.14
In April 2002, the parents of three altar boys complained that the boys
had been physically and verbally abused by Fr Sergius.
The parents
demanded that he be removed from any situation at parish level.
The
delegate, Fr Gleeson, met the parents immediately. He concluded that the
priest was no longer to be considered safe around children. He considered
the matter to be serious enough to merit Fr Sergius‟s removal from ministry
and to have his alcohol and behavioural problems professionally assessed.
He noted that the problems with Fr Sergius were “of long standing”.
42.15
Fr Sergius was asked to step aside from ministry. He was told that the
decision would be reviewed pending treatment for his alcohol problems.
Archbishop Connell sent a letter confirming the decision and asking him to
seek “appropriate professional assistance” as the Archbishop would not be
prepared to reinstate him without a positive medical report. The parents were
informed.
42.16
Bishop Field recommended and organised treatment for Fr Sergius
with the Granada Institute in May 2002.
However, in June 2002, Fr Sergius
informed Bishop Field that he would no longer be attending the institute and
would instead be following legal advice on the matter. This was followed by
578
a solicitor‟s letter to the Archdiocese in July 2002 requesting copies of all
documents relating to allegations and investigations of the Archdiocese.
42.17
Fr Sergius had written to Archbishop Connell in late May 2002
reaffirming his innocence and expressing his intention to retire from the
diocese with adequate financial compensation.
prepared to resign his priestly ministry.
However, he was not
In July, Fr Sergius accused
Archbishop Connell of imposing a severe, extreme and unjust suspension
from ministry.
Archbishop Connell immediately responded explaining that,
once he had a report from Granada, he would be in a position to discuss the
future.
The report from Granada in July 2002 concluded that Fr Sergius‟s
behaviour must be taken seriously as there were indicators that he was
getting into serious difficulty. Furthermore, because he was not willing to
attend for additional sessions with Granada, it was concluded that the
problems and complaints were likely to continue. Fr Sergius would need to
gain much deeper insight into his behaviour before he could return to ministry.
Fr Sergius believed the findings of the report were invalid and that fault for the
entire process was with the Archdiocese.
42.18
In September 2002, Archbishop Connell again reiterated that there
would be no return to ministry unless there was a positive report from
Granada. This time, Fr Sergius did return to Granada. A residential course to
deal with his alcohol problem was recommended by Granada but Fr Sergius
refused to attend.
He said he intended to retire from the diocese. He was
officially released from his duties in October 2002 and became a beneficiary
of the Clerical Fund Society (see Chapter 8). The Archdiocese provided him
with a house.
42.19
Fr Sergius remains very disaffected with the Archdiocese even though
it has been generous to him. He still wants to engage in ministry in Dublin. It
appears that he sometimes helps out in another diocese. Bishop Field was
aware of this and explained that, as Fr Sergius was retired from the Dublin
Archdiocese, he was in fact free to help wherever he wished; he was not
under any ministerial restriction. The Commission does not know if this other
diocese has been informed of his situation.
579
The Commission’s assessment
42.20
It may be the case that Fr Sergius‟s primary problem is one of
excessive alcohol consumption.
However, any priest who behaves in a
sexually inappropriate way with minors, even if it happens only when he is
drunk, should be treated in accordance with the guidelines on child sexual
abuse.
Fr Sergius should have been removed from ministry after the
complaints from the young girls in the restaurant. He should not be allowed
to minister until he deals with his alcohol problem.
Retirement is not a
substitute for removal from ministry.
42.21
His propensity to be sexually abusive was known to the Archdiocese
so it should have been very concerned indeed about the complaints of the
young girls. Bishop Ó Ceallaigh should have been informed of the full range
of complaints against Fr Sergius when he was dealing with the December
1996 complaint.
42.22
His problems should have been made known to his parish priest and
area bishop in 1998 and he should not have been allowed involvement with
the confirmation class.
42.23
The Gardaí dealt appropriately with this case and there was no
involvement by the health board.
580
Chapter 43
Fr Dante*111
Introduction
43.1
Fr Dante was born in 1946 in the UK and ordained in 1973. He held
various appointments throughout the Dublin Archdiocese as chaplain and
curate. He suffered from stress related problems and was not always active
in his roles. He retired from the Archdiocese in March 2005 on the grounds of
ill health. He returned to live in his family home in the UK.
43.2
Four complaints against Fr Dante are known to the Commission.
Three of the allegations relate to a trip to France for altar boys in 1985 which
was chaperoned by Fr Dante. The fourth is unrelated to the trip. Fr Dante
has always strenuously denied the allegations made against him.
First Allegation, 1995
43.3
There are three complaints or expressions of concern in relation to a
trip to France by altar boys from the parish in which Fr Dante was a curate in
1985. The first was made in December 1995 and was more of an expression
of concern than a complaint or allegation. A boy who had been on this trip
told the Archdiocese that, beforehand, he and another senior altar boy would
spend time in Fr Dante‟s house organising the trip and Fr Dante would have
them sit on his knee. The former altar boy was also concerned about some of
the more unusual rules of the trip. One rule was that underwear could not be
worn when the altar boys reached the continent, that all boys were to sleep
naked and that the bathroom door was to be left open when showering so Fr
Dante could “check”‟ on the boys. Punishment was to be smacking on the
bare bottom. The former altar boy stated that he was once punished in this
way and “something about it didn‟t feel quite right”.
43.4
Monsignor Dolan visited this former altar boy and spoke to him and to
his father. It emerged that another parent had expressed concerns about Fr
Dante‟s behaviour. The former altar boy also told Monsignor Dolan that the
boys had to undress in front of Fr Dante at night and that a different boy had
to sleep in the same bed as Fr Dante each night due to a shortage of beds.
This was also allegedly used as a form of punishment.
111
This is a pseudonym.
581
43.5
In March 1997, Archbishop Connell asked Bishop Eamonn Walsh to
speak to Fr Dante about this expression of concern. Fr Dante denied the
allegations, saying that there may have been threats made about punishment
but nothing of an untoward nature occurred. Bishop Walsh concluded that
the alleged incidents could be viewed as in the nature of strict discipline or
containing some sort of gratification. It was seen as inappropriate behaviour
rather than child sexual abuse. Monsignor Dolan interviewed Fr Dante about
the specific aspects of the altar boy‟s statement. Fr Dante first denied having
the boys sit on his knee, making the boys sleep naked or punishing on the
bare bottom. However, over the course of the meeting, his account changed
somewhat. He said the boys did not wear underwear in order to prevent their
clothes getting wet during the day. The confined space meant clothes were
hung on the bathroom door, therefore the door was left open during
showering to prevent the clothes getting wet. He claimed there was always
another boy present when this occurred.
He conceded that he was very
focused on disciplining the boys. As it was often difficult to catch them, he
admitted that he may have slapped them as they ran from the shower but he
could not remember doing so.
43.6
Monsignor Dolan believed these to be reasonable explanations. He
noted that a print-out of the rules of the trip did not correspond to the altar
boy‟s description of the rules. However, he was concerned that Fr Dante had
given an altered account of his approach to discipline as their meeting
progressed and there were, at this stage, two independent allegations of
sitting on the priest‟s knee (the second one is the second allegation described
below). Monsignor Dolan concluded that the case did not pass the threshold
of suspicion of child sexual abuse but he suggested, among other things, that
an assessment would be appropriate.
43.7
Shortly after the meeting, it was confirmed to Monsignor Dolan that Fr
Dante would be attending the Granada Institute. Fr Dante believed this would
be better for him and the diocese as it would help him cope with his stress
problems. He was treated in Granada for the following seven months. A
psychological report issued in August 1998 stated that, while Fr Dante
suffered from stress and was pre-disposed to depressive moods, there was
“no evidence to suggest that [Fr Dante] is erotically attracted to children”.
582
The report concluded however that it would be prudent for him not to minister
to children given the nature of the allegations.
Fr Dante was allowed to
return to ministry and was appointed curate in another parish from 1
September 1999. He did not take up the appointment due to “severe stress”.
He was receiving medical attention for his health problems and was living in
diocesan accommodation. He was appointed a parish chaplain and chaplain
to a hospital in July 2000. It seems that he actually carried out relatively little
pastoral work in the parish because of his health problems; he did most of his
work in the hospital.
Second allegation
43.8
Meanwhile, a second allegation was made which was unrelated to the
trip to France.
In 1996, a woman informed Monsignor Dolan that there had
been an incident with her son and Fr Dante when her son was ten years old.
She alleged that approximately five years previously Fr Dante had invited her
son over to his house to learn about computers. On his second visit, Fr
Dante allegedly invited the boy to sit on his knee. The boy refused and there
was no further contact between the pair. The mother was adamant that the
matter be kept in the strictest of confidence; she did not want her son to be
questioned.
The Archdiocese put this allegation to Fr Dante as part of its
broader investigation. He expressed surprise that he had not been informed
of the allegation sooner.
Third allegation
43.9
In late 2002, a third allegation, which was the second one concerning
the trip to France in 1985, emerged. At some stage in 2002, a mother had
spoken to a curate in her parish about incidents with her son during the trip to
France in 1985. These were similar to those already reported. In December
2002, the allegations were brought to the attention of the parish priest who
immediately contacted Fr Paddy Gleeson, one of the delegates at the time.
Fr Gleeson met the curate and it emerged that this mother had brought her
allegations to the attention of another priest approximately four years
previously, in 1998. However, at that time she had requested that the matter
stay confidential and so the Archdiocese had not been made aware of her
complaint. The other priest confirmed that she had brought the matter to his
attention. The curate had offered her the Faoiseamh helpline number and
she in turn gave this to her son.
583
43.10
Fr Gleeson met the mother in January 2003. She alleged that, even
before the trip to France, concerns had been voiced among the parents about
Fr Dante‟s behaviour around children.
She made the same allegations
regarding the rules of the trip as were made in the first allegation but also
spoke of one specific incident when Fr Dante had allegedly been aroused
while disciplining her son. She claimed that all the boys ceased being altar
servers after the trip.
Her son was interviewed the following day.
He
reiterated his mother‟s allegation and added some further information. He,
like the second complainant, claimed that he would be invited to sit on Fr
Dante‟s knee when using the computer. On these occasions, Fr Dante‟s
hands would be “all over the place”. He alleged that, even before the trip to
France, Fr Dante would be around the boys at football training watching them
undress and checking if they were wearing underwear by pulling down the
front of their shorts. He said the boys were aware of Fr Dante‟s habits before
going to France but they really wanted to go on the trip.
Fourth allegation
43.11
In January 2003, while the third allegation was being investigated, the
parish priest spoke to the father of another altar boy.
The father asked his
son if he had seen anything on the trip to France. His son alleged that the
boys had slept two to a bed and were made to sleep naked. He further
alleged that Fr Dante had always slept with one of the boys. On a separate
occasion when this boy was staying with Fr Dante, he had to undress in his
presence.
This was not investigated as a separate allegation by the
Archdiocese as no formal complaint was made but it did strengthen the
credibility of the other complainants.
The garda investigation
43.12
The Archdiocese informed the Gardaí of the third allegation in January
2003. In a follow-up letter Fr Gleeson asked, at the request of Cardinal
Connell, that the Gardaí not contact Fr Dante until the diocese had informed
him of the new complaint as the Cardinal was concerned about his unstable
health.
The Gardaí were also told of the other allegations/expressions of
concern in relation to the trip to France.
584
43.13
The Gardaí began their investigation as soon as Fr Dante had been
informed of the new complaint. They notified the HSE of suspected child
sexual abuse in early March 2003. They interviewed the third complainant in
April 2003 but he refused to sign his statement saying that he did not want to
pursue the matter; he merely wanted to bring it to the attention of the Gardaí.
His mother was also interviewed.
In addition to what she had told Fr
Gleeson, she informed Gardaí that, before the trip, Fr Dante had called to the
house with a list of rules saying that he would collect the boys‟ clothes at night
to prevent them getting out and that he had the right to punish the boys and
hold their pocket money. In May 2004, the Gardaí concluded that no criminal
offence had been disclosed as the third complainant would not make a formal
complaint. However, the Gardaí did express concern at the inappropriate
behaviour and this was notified to the health board. The Child Protection
Service of the Archdiocese was informed of the outcome of the garda
investigation and the conclusion was that child protection concerns should
remain.
The Archdiocese’s response
43.14
Fr Dante‟s case was considered at a meeting in Archbishop‟s House
in January 2003.
The following day, Fr Dante was again interviewed. He
now said that printed rules were given to all parents before the trip and that
one boy had an accident on the trip and spent the night sleeping on the floor
beside his bed as he needed to be monitored. He categorically denied the
allegations of the third complainant and suggested that he and the boy had
had a run-in which resulted in the boy being expelled from school.
43.15
Fr Dante was asked to step aside from ministry and he agreed to do
this. He was also advised to seek legal advice. The case was referred to the
advisory panel. The panel agreed that the correct procedures were being
followed and it recommended that the hospital at which Fr Dante had been a
chaplain should be informed. It was decided that the diocese should conduct
its own investigation and, in this respect, the parish priest of his current parish
should make discreet inquiries as to any further allegations. Those who had
raised expressions of concern were to be informed that a formal complaint
had been made.
These recommendations were immediately acted upon.
The health board and the hospital were informed.
585
43.16
Fr Dante began attending treatment sessions at the Granada Institute
in March 2003.
During his time in treatment, a health board child care
manager sought clarification from the Archdiocese on what measures had
been taken to ensure that Fr Dante was no longer a threat to children. Fr
Gleeson replied, telling her that Fr Dante had been asked to step aside from
ministry, had been referred to Granada for risk assessment, had been moved
to alternative accommodation across the city and had been assigned a priest
advisor. The matter came before the advisory panel again in August 2003
where it was noted that Fr Dante was continuing to deny the allegations but
had been attending Granada, where he had suggested that he would be
happy to retire from the priesthood.
43.17
A report from Granada was sent to the Archdiocese in February 2004.
This showed that Fr Dante consistently denied any sexual abuse although he
did accept the reasons for his ministerial restrictions regarding contact with
minors. He also consistently denied any erotic interest in children. Fr Dante
had told Granada that he had rigorously adhered to the restrictions imposed
on him. Granada concluded that his isolation meant his health problems were
entering a chronic pattern and recommended that he be allowed retire. It
suggested that it would be desirable both socially and mentally for him to
return to the UK to be near his family. In March 2004, Fr Dante requested
retirement from the priesthood on the basis of his poor health. He asked that
he be permitted to return to the UK to be near his niece who was a nurse and
could monitor his health problems.
43.18
His request for retirement went before the advisory panel.
It was
recommended that the precept under which he was living be maintained (that
is, no ministry) and the implications of providing proper supervision in the UK
be considered. The Gardaí and the health board were to be asked for their
views of such a move. In June 2004, the advisory panel went a step further
and concluded that specific recommendations would be needed from the
Child Protection Service as to the safest arrangements for his move. The
health board told the Archdiocese that if Fr Dante were to move to the UK
then all those with whom he would be living or would have contact would
need to be informed of the allegations against him.
However, Fr Dante
himself would first need to be informed that this was happening.
586
43.19
Fr Dante was notified of the requirements of a move to the UK diocese
at the end of May 2004. He resisted the notification requirements as stated
by the health board and suggested he would seek legal advice on the issue.
He met Philip Garland, Director of the Child Protection Service, in July 2004.
Mr Garland explained that the notification requirements were essential. Fr
Dante again denied all allegations made against him.
43.20
His formal request for retirement was sent to Archbishop Martin in
September 2004 and was considered by the bishops. The advisory panel
recommended that full retirement be supported by the Archdiocese. In early
December it recommended that a formal precept be put in place which would
be explicit about the need to avoid any unsupervised contact with minors and
restrictions on providing any ministry for him. It also recommended that the
Child Protection Service maintain contact with its UK counterpart.
The
Archbishop also requested that Fr Dante‟s niece be informed. Fr Dante did
not want her informed and he said that he would inform his sister.
The
advisory panel recommended that his sister be fully briefed on his retirement.
In this respect, the panel believed it would be prudent for the delegate to be
present when Fr Dante informed his sister.
43.21
Fr Dante returned to the UK in February 2005. The Child Protection
Co-ordinator for the diocese to which he was moving was informed that he
would be moving to the diocese and of the child protection concerns that had
been raised about him. A canonical precept was drawn up and approved by
both the Dublin Archdiocese and the UK diocese to which he was moving.
The precept laid down the following conditions:
no public masses to be celebrated; he could do so in private but only
those who were aware of his situation could attend;
no permission to celebrate other Sacraments except the Sacrament of
Penance in situations of danger of death;
permission must be sought from the delegate of the Dublin
Archdiocese to celebrate family occasions.
The permission of the
local bishop of the relevant jurisdiction should also be sought;
no unsupervised contact formal or informal with minors;
no clerical garb;
must co-operate with the representatives of the relevant dioceses.
587
43.22
This was followed by a behavioural contract between Fr Dante and the
parish in the UK in which he would be living. This specified that he:
was not to wear clerical garb or involve himself in any liturgical
activities in the parish community;
was not to celebrate mass in public; he could celebrate in a private
room and in the company of those aware of the reasons for his
retirement;
was to sit separately from children and families when attending mass
in the parish;
was to accept the advice of the parish clergy about what mass to
attend;
was to never be alone with children and must avoid any occasion
where this may accidentally occur;
was to make a conscious effort to avoid befriending those who would
have regular visits from children;
communicate any change of address or visit to another parish to the
local clergy.
43.23
Shortly afterwards, the delegate in the UK diocese reported that Fr
Dante was still in denial and had failed to inform his sister of the allegations.
The advisory panel‟s concerns were vindicated.
The UK delegate then
briefed the sister due to his concern for her grandchildren who regularly
visited. He also said that the information about Fr Dante would have to be
shared with the parish deacon and the child protection representative but
nobody else. The Dublin delegate responded by acknowledging the difficulty
now faced by Fr Dante‟s family and agreeing that perhaps it should have
been made a condition of his retirement that the Archdiocese be allowed to
inform his family before the move to the UK. In April 2005, the UK diocese
delegate told the Dublin delegate that Fr Dante‟s sister was shocked by the
allegations; she was very angry at having been expected to look after him and
she had confirmed that she would not take responsibility for being his monitor.
43.24
Fr Dante was nominated as a beneficiary of the Clerical Fund Society
from 1 May 2005.
588
The Commission’s assessment
43.25
The complaints were dealt with by the Archdiocese appropriately and
in accordance with the Framework Document. The Gardaí also dealt with
them appropriately.
43.26
There was good communications between the Archdiocese, the
Gardaí and the health board. There was also good communication between
the Archdiocese and the UK diocese. The advisory panel was particularly
effective in ensuring that this communication occurred and was clearly very
aware of the need not to rely on Fr Dante himself to communicate with
relevant people.
43.27
This case again raises the difficulty as to how the activities of priests
accused of child sexual abuse are to be monitored. In this particular case, it
appears that everything possible that could be done was done but the end
result is that a priest about whom there are concerns is now living in an
unsupervised regime.
589
Chapter 44
Fr Cassius*112
Introduction
44.1
Fr Cassius was born in 1910, ordained in 1934 and died in 1975. A
complaint was made to the Archdiocese in 1999 that Fr Cassius sexually
abused a girl in the early 1960s. The alleged abuse involved multiple sexual
abuses including oral sex and gang rape involving the priest.
The Complaint
44.2
The complainant alleged that the abuse took place in an industrial
school in the early 1960s, when she was aged between seven and ten. Fr
Cassius was serving at the time in the parish where the industrial school was
located. It was alleged that Fr Cassius lived in a house annexed to the school
chapel and that a nun from the institution delivered the complainant to him for
the purposes of permitting the abuse. The complainant alleged that the nun
was complicit in the abuse on these occasions and that the nun herself
participated in the abuse and watched it taking place. She alleged that she
was gang-raped by three or four men in that house and that Fr Cassius was
one of the participants in the rape.
44.3
Both the Gardaí and the Archdiocese investigated the complaint.
The Archdiocese Investigation
44.4
Another nun who had been in that institution for one month in 1951
and returned there for a longer period after 1975 stated on inquiry from the
Archdiocese that, during her time there, priests did not have free access to
the institution and there was no significant contact between the Archdiocese
and the institution. She did recall one priest (not the priest being investigated,
but against whom this complainant made a similar allegation) having attended
from time to time to examine children on religious knowledge.
44.5
Monsignor Dolan, the chancellor at the time that the complaint was
made, had a search carried out in the diocesan archives for relevant material
concerning the institution between the period 1940 and 1971. This search
however did not reveal any letters of complaint from anyone nor was there
112
This is a pseudonym.
590
any record of concern from any outside agency about the institution during
this time.
44.6
Similarly, the Commission has not come across any material that
would indicate that there was any complaint made about this priest to the
Archdiocese during his life time.
The Garda investigation
44.7
This investigation began when a statement was provided to the Gardaí
by the complainant in July 1999 through her solicitor.
44.8
Garda records refer to the statement as being incomplete, as the
complainant‟s solicitor had terminated the interview because she felt that the
complainant was close to having a mental breakdown. The complainant lived
abroad and had left Ireland a few days later with a promise to return to
complete her statement.
As the Gardaí did not consider the statement
completed, their investigation did not significantly progress beyond this time.
The Gardaí did obtain a copy of the unedited version of a media program
involving the complainant. They also tried to arrange for the return of the
complainant for the purposes of the completion of her statement but were
unsuccessful in so doing. The Commission understands that the complainant
has now declined to make any statement and the matter is consequently no
longer under investigation by the Gardaí.
Civil Proceedings
44.9
Civil proceedings were issued by the complainant in September 1999
against the Archdiocese. The Commission is not aware of any outcome to
the civil proceedings.
The Commission’s assessment
44.10
The Archdiocese and the Gardaí did what they could to investigate
this complaint. The priest was dead for 24 years when it was made so it was
not possible to have a conclusive investigation.
591
Fr Giraldus*113
Chapter 45
Introduction
45.1
Fr Giraldus was born in 1940 and ordained in 1970.
He was a
member of a religious order but was incardinated into the Dublin Archdiocese
in the 1980s. The Commission is aware of two allegations of child sexual
abuse against him; one of these was subsequently withdrawn.
First Complaint, 2000
45.2
An allegation of sexual abuse was made against Fr Giraldus in
January 2000. It related to his time as a member of staff in a children‟s home
outside the Dublin Archdiocese in the 1960s. The allegation was investigated
by the Gardaí.
Fr Giraldus emphatically denied the allegation.
The
Archdiocese made inquiries about his activities but no concerns emerged.
The advisory panel recommended that he should not be asked to step aside
from ministry nor should there be any change in his status. It recommended
that the diocese await the outcome of the garda investigation before deciding
how to proceed.
However, in May 2000, the complainant withdrew his
complaint against Fr Giraldus and explained that it was another staff member
who had abused him.
Second Complaint, 2005
45.3
In April 2005, the head of the order of which Fr Giraldus had been a
member received an anonymous letter alleging child sexual abuse by Fr
Giraldus when he was a teacher at a Dublin secondary school and the writer
was a pupil there in 1972/73.
The alleged abuse involved touching the
complainant and a number of other boys at a swimming pool. The head of
the order communicated with the writer by email over a period.
The writer
lived abroad. The head of the order encouraged the complainant to go to the
Gardaí and he explained that he would need to inform the Archdiocese of the
allegation.
45.4
The order informed Philip Garland, Director of the Child Protection
Service (CPS) in May 2005.
It was agreed between the order and the
Archdiocese that the Archdiocese would conduct an investigation and deal
113
This is a pseudonym.
592
with the statutory authorities; the Archdiocese would provide victim support
and all issues of litigation would be directed to the order.
45.5
The Child Protection Service
contacted the still anonymous
complainant by email. The support co-ordinator of the Child Protection
Service then maintained frequent contact and offered support to the
complainant throughout the following months. In June 2005, the complainant
provided a signed statement.
The Gardaí and the HSE were notified by the
Child Protection Service.
45.6
The Gardaí expressed surprise that Fr Giraldus had not been removed
from ministry and the HSE said that he presented a potentially high risk. The
CPS recommended that he be asked to step aside from ministry.
Interagency meeting
45.7
The case was reviewed at an interagency meeting between the
Archdiocese, the HSE and the Gardaí in early July 2005.
The Gardaí
confirmed that they had made contact with the complainant but had yet to
launch a formal investigation as the complainant had not yet made a
statement of complaint to them. The HSE confirmed that it would be satisfied
if the Church followed through on its proposed actions, namely, that the priest
be asked to step aside from ministry, leave his parish and go for assessment.
45.8
The Archbishop and the delegate then met Fr Giraldus. He denied the
allegations and said he did not remember the complainant.
He said he
never touched a child sexually nor was he ever sexually aroused in a
swimming pool. He admitted there would be horseplay at times but nothing
inappropriate. He also admitted that he would have showered naked and that
it would be possible that his swimming shorts might have come off when
diving into the pool.
Stepping aside from ministry
45.9
Fr Giraldus was asked to step aside from ministry but was given
permission to celebrate certain family events.
He agreed to go to the
Granada Institute for assessment. It was agreed that he would tell his parish
team that he was taking a leave of absence.
593
The Commission is somewhat
surprised that this subterfuge was being used in 2005. He also had a support
priest. Fr Giraldus moved out of his parish to a house he owned.
45.10
In mid July 2005, the complainant was informed that Fr Giraldus had
stepped aside from ministry. His response was that he did not intend to
pursue criminal proceedings provided the priest got professional help.
In
August, the complainant expressed his disappointment that he had heard of
Fr Giraldus‟s denial of the allegations through a third party.
He did not
identify the third party involved. He said that he would cease to co-operate
with the CPS if they were not more forthcoming with developments in the
case. He also advised that he had met an obstacle when trying to give a
Garda statement: he was required to be present to give the interview or to
use Interpol or the police in the country where he was living, none of which he
wanted to do. He further advised that he was seeking legal advice in Dublin.
45.11
Fr Giraldus attended Granada from September to November 2005. A
report from Granada in January 2006 concluded that there were no grounds
for restricting his involvement with or access to children nor did he need
ongoing professional support or counselling.
It noted that there was no
concrete (meaning corroborative) evidence that Fr Giraldus had sexually
abused the complainant and that there was an absence of any apparent
erotic attraction to children.
45.12
The advisory panel, having seen this report, expressed its concern at
the protracted length of the investigation and urged the CPS to press the
Gardaí to get a statement from the complainant.
Fr Giraldus was also
anxious about the length of time he had been out of ministry and claimed that
people were beginning to ask questions. The panel further recommended
that advice be sought from the HSE on risk management in the case.
45.13
A second meeting between the Archdiocese, the HSE and the Gardaí
was held in February 2006. Granada was represented at this meeting. The
Gardaí indicated that there was no investigation at present as they did not
have an official complaint. Granada reconfirmed that the priest had always
asserted his innocence and his risk level was low. There was no evidence of
an erotic interest in children or any evidence to restrict his access to children.
Granada recommended that he be allowed to return to ministry but also
594
suggested that he should be encouraged to retire. It is not clear why this
recommendation was made. The HSE was uneasy about the situation in
respect of the first complaint and with the fact that the order did not seem to
have any concerns about the priest. It was concluded that the case should
again go before the advisory panel for recommendation. It was also agreed
that there would be a meeting with the order regarding its knowledge of the
situation in the school during the priest‟s time there. The HSE would attend
this meeting and would try to contact the first complainant. It is not clear why
the HSE wanted to contact the first complainant as he had clearly withdrawn
the complaint because he recognised that he had made a mistake of
identification. The HSE did not, in fact, contact the first complainant.
45.14
The CPS updated the second complainant about the decisions which
were made in the course of this meeting. The complainant confirmed that he
was happy for the HSE to contact him. He also explained that it was purely
the distance that was preventing him from making a statement to the Gardaí.
The Archdiocese agreed to fund the cost of the complainant‟s journey to
Ireland in order to make a statement to the Gardaí.
45.15
The CPS met the order in March 2006. The HSE was not at the
meeting. The order informed the CPS that it had carried out a very detailed
investigation regarding the school and swimming pool to which the allegations
related but they were not aware of any concerns in relation to Fr Giraldus.
The order representative confirmed that he would not have any concerns
about Fr Giraldus in relation to child abuse issues. He also said that he knew
the complainant and described him as a very trustworthy person.
45.16
The complainant came to Ireland in April 2006. He met the CPS, the
order, the Gardaí and the HSE. He reiterated his assertion that Fr Giraldus
had harmed others as he had heard boys tell stories of similar occurrences.
He said that his reason for travelling to Ireland was the priest‟s denial of
everything.
45.17
A further meeting between the Archdiocese, the HSE and the Gardaí
was held in May 2006. The HSE said it had not followed up with the first
complainant as there was no complaint. It also said it would be interested in
trying to corroborate what the second complainant had said about the other
595
boys. The Gardaí were of the opinion that there had been only one minor
incident which would be difficult to prove and corroborate.
They would
continue to investigate. It was decided that Fr Giraldus should remain on
administrative leave while the CPS followed up with the order regarding their
knowledge. The HSE undertook to check its files in relation to the school in
question.
A final interagency meeting was held in July 2006. It was agreed
that the case was unsubstantiated and it was not possible to determine the
risk.
45.18
The Gardaí completed their investigations and forwarded a file to the
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In December 2006, the DPP decided
not to prosecute due to lack of medical or forensic evidence, delay, and the
absence of witnesses to the alleged incident.
45.19
Fr Giraldus was restored to ministry in December 2006 and is
currently in ministry.
The Commission’s assessment
45.20
The withdrawal of an allegation does not always mean that no further
investigation should take place. However, the first allegation in this case was
withdrawn because the complainant realised he had mistaken the identity of
his abuser. In these circumstances, the Commission considers it reasonable
to cease further investigation.
45.21
All concerned with the second allegation dealt with this case in
accordance with the procedures and there was very good communication
between the Archdiocese and the order and between the church and state
authorities.
The fact that the allegation was initially anonymous meant that
there was a slight delay before the priest was removed from ministry and all
the relevant people were contacted. The CPS was trying to get further
information so the slight delay was reasonable.
The Archdiocese facilitated
the complainant in making his complaint to the civil authorities and is to be
commended for that.
45.22
This is one of the cases in which the HSE did not provide documents
to the Commission until it had received the draft of this chapter. The HSE
attended the interagency meetings and was kept fully informed by the CPS
596
but it is not clear to the Commission that the HSE had any real function at
these meetings. It is understandable that the Archdiocese was relying, to
some extent, on the HSE to provide a risk assessment but the HSE was not
in a position to do that.
597
Chapter 46
Fr Aquila*114
Introduction
46.1
Fr Aquila is a member of a religious order since the 1950s. As a
brother in the order, he served in a school. He was ordained as a priest of
the order in the 1960s. He served abroad for a number of years and was a
chaplain in the Archdiocese of Dublin for some time. He is now retired from
public ministry. He lives in another diocese where he has faculties to say
mass but, at his own choice, does not have any appointment. He remains a
member of the order but has no real involvement with it.
46.2
The Commission is aware of a total of three complaints alleging sexual
abuse against Fr Aquila. All of the complaints related to his service in the
school when he was not yet a priest.
First Complaint
46.3
The first complaint of abuse was made by a former student at the
school to the Gardaí in February 2000 and involved an allegation of physical
and sexual assault in the school in the 1960s. The allegation was that he had
strapped a boy on his bare buttocks and subsequently applied ointment on
the boy‟s buttocks on the premise of alleviation of the damage caused by the
beating. During the course of the application of the ointment, he is alleged to
have touched the boy‟s genitals. The priest admitted to strapping boys on
bare buttocks while at the school and that he would have applied medication
in such circumstances. He denied ever touching genitalia and regarded any
discipline he meted out as in accordance with the “norms of the times”. He
denied any sexual attraction to, or fantasies about, children.
A Garda file
was sent to the DPP who directed no prosecution in September 2000.
Church response
46.4
The Dublin Archdiocese learned of the complaint from the Gardaí in
February 2000. Fr Aquila was immediately requested by the superior of his
order to step aside from his position as chaplain. Fr Aquila was referred to
the Granada Institute for assessment and a report was issued in September
2000. This report judged him to be well adjusted, having a strong network of
114
This is a pseudonym.
598
support, no deviant sexual fantasies and to be a conscientious and hardworking person. As the psychologist determined that there was no evidence
that Fr Aquila presented a risk to children, it was recommended that he be
allowed to return to his ministry.
Archbishop Connell confirmed that he was
permitted to return as chaplain in September 2000, having checked with the
chancellor, Monsignor Dolan, that there were no other known concerns about
him.
Two further complaints
46.5
Between June and July 2001, the Archdiocese learned of two further
complaints of alleged physical and sexual abuse from two other former
students at the school. One of those complainants reported that “to the best
of his memory”, he thought his abuser might have been Fr Aquila.
46.6
In August 2002, Archbishop Connell withdrew his nomination of Fr
Aquila as a chaplain. Although Fr Aquila was initially going to contest this, he
decided to retire in 2003.
46.7
In October 2004, the order‟s advisory panel considered the three
complaints against Fr Aquila.
While the panel considered the claims
believable, it did not make any decision as to whether they did or did not
happen.
46.8
It was decided by the panel and the superior of the order that no bar
would be put on Fr Aquila as a priest. Over the next few years, Fr Aquila
became disillusioned with the Church and his order in particular.
to the diocese where he grew up.
He moved
In July 2006, the advisory panel
considered that he was disengaging from the order and that this was a cause
for concern. He was living outside of, and had no contact with, his order. The
panel members agreed that contact should be made with him and that their
concerns be expressed. The advisory panel met again in October 2006 and
discussed an impending report due to be received from Granada via Fr
Aquila‟s solicitors. There was some puzzlement as to why the report had not
been received by the panel – the assessment had been carried out in
November 2005. The panel was also unsure if it was the case that Fr Aquila,
through his disengagement with the order, did not really want to return to
active ministry.
599
46.9
The Granada assessment, which was carried out in November 2005,
was made available to the order in November 2006.
It reiterated that Fr
Aquila was fit for ministry. The advisory panel recommended that he should
be free to exercise public ministry.
46.10
The order applied to the bishop of the diocese where Fr Aquila was
living to grant him faculties to say public mass.
He did not want any
appointment. The order provided the bishop with a full description of his
background, of the complaints received and the assessments undertaken.
Faculties were granted by the bishop.
The Commission’s assessment
46.11
The order, the Archdiocese and the Gardaí all dealt with this case
appropriately. Regrettably, the process of dealing with the complaints seems
to have caused great disillusionment to Fr Aquila.
His present limited
ministry and non-involvement with his order is his choice as it is clear that the
order did not sideline him. The Archdiocese was correct in removing him as a
chaplain when the complaints were made.
600
Fr Blaise*115
Chapter 47
Introduction
47.1
In August 2001, a priest in the Portmarnock area received a letter from
a man who claimed that in 1972, when he was 14 years old, he was abused
by Fr Blaise. The abuse allegedly occurred when this priest was a parish
priest. The complainant was inquiring about Fr Blaise‟s whereabouts in 2001
but stated that he did not want to take the matter further for fear it would
cause stress to his mother.
47.2
The man also complained to the Gardaí in August 2001. The Gardaí
made inquiries about Fr Blaise and they established that he had been the
parish priest in the relevant area in 1972. However, he had died in 1987. A
criminal investigation would not be conducted because he was dead.
Nevertheless, the Gardaí told the complainant how to contact the chancellor,
Monsignor Dolan, at Archbishop‟s House.
47.3
The matter was referred to the clerical abuse inquiry at the National
Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) in Harcourt Square– see Chapter 5.
The complainant at this stage was serving a prison sentence in the UK. The
NBCI wrote to the complainant and provided him with a telephone number
and an email address. They also informed him that they were currently
involved in an investigation of clerical child sex abuse, and had received
correspondence in relation to his complaint from the Garda station where he
had made the complaint.
47.4
In May 2002, legal proceedings were issued on behalf of the
complainant against the Archdiocese.
The solicitor who issued the
proceedings on behalf of the complainant had considerable difficulty in
advancing the case because the complainant was in prison. He was moved
to different prisons on a number of occasions during the course of his
imprisonment.
Eventually, on the application of the Archdiocese, the case
was dismissed for want of prosecution. The Gardaí were unable to pursue
the matter because the alleged victim did not make a formal statement. The
Gardaí informed the church authorities that, to their knowledge, there was no
other complaint about Fr Blaise.
115
This is a pseudonym.
601
The Commission’s assessment
47.5
Once
the
complainant
had
launched
legal
proceedings,
the
Archdiocese responded properly at all stages. It was clear that the solicitors
for the complainant were having difficulties in getting instructions and
eventually the case was dropped.
No attempt was made to contact the
complainant or to arrange to take a statement from him. The archdiocesan
view was that it was his prerogative to make direct contact with the
Archdiocese or to go through his solicitor; he chose the latter.
47.6
It must also be said that the internal investigation undertaken by the
Archdiocese following the issuing of civil proceedings uncovered no suspicion
of child sexual abuse on the part of Fr Blaise other than this allegation. All of
his fellow priests who were interviewed said they found the allegation
unbelievable.
47.7
There is another priest of the same name against whom serious
allegations of child sexual abuse have been made in another diocese. This
other priest is not of the Archdiocese of Dublin but did supply work in the
Archdiocese. The possibility that the offender was in fact that other priest
was not explored by any party.
47.8
Even though Fr Blaise had died, the Gardaí did what they could to
assist the complainant.
602
Fr Benito*116
Chapter 48
Introduction
48.1
Fr Benito was born in the 1960s and ordained in the 1980s.
He
initially worked as a teacher. This ceased because his principal complained,
among other things, that the priest was unable to maintain discipline in the
classroom, that there was an over-reliance by him on videos and that some of
the parents were unhappy with material used in his examination papers. The
principal considered that he lacked maturity and was naïve. He was then
appointed as a curate in a parish.
48.2
Two complainants, a brother and sister, have made complaints to the
Gardaí of child sexual abuse against Fr Benito.
The complainants have not
made complaints to the Archdiocese. The existence of the complaints was
initially brought to the attention of the Archdiocese by the priest himself. Fr
Benito is currently in ministry in the Archdiocese.
The complaints
48.3
The two complaints were made to the Gardaí in September 2001. The
young man complained that he had been sexually assaulted by Fr Benito
when he was about 15 years old, in or around 1988.
The young woman
alleged that Fr Benito had sexually abused and raped her when she was a
teenager.
48.4
It is clear from Fr Benito‟s own letters that he had got himself into a
somewhat tangled relationship with this particular family.
He had been
friendly with the family from the mid 1980s when the boy was aged about 13
and his sister about 15. By 2001, this family, and particularly the sister, were
involved in complex relationships and the priest was heavily involved in
advising them.
Very long letters were being written making allegations
against various people. Some of these allegations related to current child
sexual abuse, but these were not being made against Fr Benito.
48.5
In August 2001, Archbishop Connell received an anonymous letter
complaining about Fr Benito.
116
This letter was connected to the tangled
This is a pseudonym.
603
relationship of the priest with the family but this was not known to Archbishop
Connell at that stage. The complaint made did not concern child sexual
abuse.
The matter was referred to Bishop Raymond Field who was
requested to ascertain the priest‟s views.
48.6
It appears, despite the absence of confirming documentation, that
Bishop Field contacted Fr Benito promptly. At or about the same time the
priest wrote a long letter to his psychiatrist detailing his associations with this
family.
48.7
Fr Benito had been attending a psychiatrist for many years because
he suffered from depression. The priest told the psychiatrist that, when the
boy in question was aged about 15, in or around 1988, the boy used to visit
the priest‟s house and stay overnight.
48.8
Fr Benito described how he decided one night in November 1988 to
play a prank on the boy. After the boy had gone asleep, Fr Benito dressed in
a blanket and a mask and frightened him. The boy became hysterical and Fr
Benito tried to calm him down by hugging him. The boy suddenly kissed the
priest. The priest saw that the boy was aroused so, in order to defuse the
situation, the priest “flicked at his erection in a mocking fashion”.
The priest
said that the incident “completely freaked” him out and he “stepped back”
from the boy although they remained good friends.
48.9
In this letter to the psychiatrist, Fr Benito also described his
relationship with the sister. He said she was now making false allegations
against him because she believed that he (the priest) was making allegations
against her brother. Fr Benito said that, in the late 1980s, the sister openly
expressed how much she liked him and she wanted to have a physical
relationship with him.
He said he was flattered by her attention and he had
an eight month affair with her in the late 1980s.
He said he felt very guilty
about this relationship in which he claimed he was manipulated by her.
48.10
It is clear from other documentation that Fr Benito was still in contact
with the woman in the late 1990s. In March 2001, he wrote to her of his
abhorrence when he learned that she had been sexually harassed and raped
by another priest. In that letter, he gave her advice on how to handle the
604
matter with the Gardaí and the diocesan representative.
At some stage,
allegations started to be made that Fr Benito was responsible for circulating
allegations against the brother and other people connected to the woman.
48.11
In October 2001, Fr Benito wrote to Bishop Field telling him that he
had heard that false allegations were being made against him and that he
was the subject of a Garda investigation.
48.12
During this period the priest also wrote detailed letters to the Gardaí
about the background to his relationship with the family.
48.13
In November 2001, the sister made a second statement to the Gardaí
in which she insisted that Fr Benito raped her when she was 15 years old.
48.14
In December 2001, Fr Benito was interviewed by the Gardaí and in
January 2002, he made a formal statement. The statement accords with the
description he had given to his psychiatrist. He said his sexual relationship
with the woman took place when she was 19 years old.
48.15
In February 2002, the priest wrote to Bishop Field to say that the
Gardaí had expressed a view that he had nothing to worry about, that they
knew there was no truth in the woman‟s allegations but that procedures had
to be followed and so the matter was being referred to the DPP.
48.16
In March 2002, the priest made a statement to the Gardaí in respect of
the incident with the young man.
48.17
In April 2002 Bishop Field went to see the investigating garda
superintendent.
The superintendent confirmed that Fr Benito did have a
sexual relationship with the girl when she was 17 years old (the priest had
claimed it was when she was 19) but the allegation by the brother was the
more serious one.
This was the first time Bishop Field became aware that
there might be a child sexual abuse issue and he reported the matter to the
chancellor, Monsignor Dolan.
48.18
The superintendent sent the file to the DPP in April 2002.
He
expressed the view that, having examined all of the circumstances of the
605
case and in particular the veracity of the allegations and the motivation for
them, he was concerned about basing a prosecution of Fr Benito on the
allegations. There is no evidence that the Gardaí notified the health board of
any child abuse concerns.
48.19
When Bishop Field reported the matter to Monsignor Dolan in April
2002, Fr Benito was immediately released from his parish duties by
Archbishop Connell. The Archbishop met Bishop Field and Monsignor Dolan.
A support system was put in place and the matter was reported to the health
board.
48.20
The matter was referred to the advisory panel.
The panel
recommended that:
Fr Benito be fully assessed by the appropriate professionals;
a Canonical Precept be imposed on him;
in the event that he was released from hospital, he should be strictly
monitored to ensure that he had no opportunity for unsupervised
contact with minors (there is nothing in the files to show that he was in
hospital at this time).
48.21
The panel indicated its concern about the delay between the first
notification of a child sexual abuse problem to the area bishop in October
2001 and its being brought to the Archbishop‟s attention in April 2002.
It
transpired that the panel had been wrongly informed. Bishop Field has told
the Commission that he was not aware of the panel‟s criticism of him until he
saw a draft of this report. Bishop Field pointed out that the panel had been
wrongly informed that Fr Benito had admitted sexual abuse of two people
under the age of 18 to him, the bishop.
Bishop Field believed that the
allegations, which were reported to him by Fr Benito in October 2001, and not
by the alleged victims, related to adults. He discovered that the allegations
related to minors only when he went to speak to the Gardaí in April 2002 and
he then reported the matter to the Archbishop.
The Commission finds it
extraordinary that the panel‟s criticism was not communicated to him at the
time. Yet again, this provides evidence of very poor communications within
the Archdiocese.
606
48.22
In May 2002, Archbishop Connell issued a precept which directed that
for two years, Fr Benito must:
have no unsupervised involvement with minors;
not make himself available for the celebration of public mass and the
sacraments;
avoid all direct contact with those who had made the allegations;
not wear clerical garb;
attend the Granada Institute for assessment;
remain in contact with his priest adviser.
48.23
The priest in the parish where he was living was to be informed of this
precept.
48.24
In October 2002 the DPP decided not to prosecute. The Granada
Institute issued a report which concluded that Fr Benito was sexually attracted
to adult women, that there was no evidence of a sexual or erotic interest in
children and that he did not present a risk of sexual abuse to anyone.
However, the report recommended that, to ensure his future emotional wellbeing and ability to maintain appropriate boundaries, he should continue to
receive psychiatric support.
The report further recommended that, in the
event that he be returned to ministry, Fr Benito should be required to avoid
any informal relationship and friendships with young people and that he be
supervised by an experienced priest for at least two years.
48.25
After a further meeting, the advisory panel signed off on the case as Fr
Benito did not appear to be within its terms of reference – the evidence did
not support any incidence of child sexual abuse.
The panel‟s views were
subsequently sought on what type of ministry would be appropriate for him.
In May 2003, the panel recommended that the precept be lifted to the extent
of allowing him to wear religious garb and to celebrate mass. The panel
recommended getting advice from his psychiatrist and adherence to the
guidelines previously issued by the Granada Institute. The precept was lifted
in June 2003.
607
48.26
In November 2003, the Child Protection Service of the Archdiocese
advised that the recommendations of the Granada Institute be implemented
without further delay and that Fr Benito:
continue to have psychiatric support;
be required to avoid any informal relationships and friendships with
young people;
have two years supervision by an experienced priest;
have a priest support person appointed.
48.27
In December 2003, Cardinal Connell and Fr Benito signed an
agreement putting these recommendations into effect. Support people and
supervisors were named and regular meetings were agreed. Fr Benito was
appointed to a parish.
48.28
In May 2004 it was brought to Archbishop Martin‟s attention that there
was no indication on the file to show if the recommendations made by the
Child Protection Service had been implemented.
Archbishop Martin made
inquiries and established that Fr Benito was seeing the psychiatrist but there
was not full compliance with the agreement.
The Director of the Child
Protection Service, Philip Garland, concluded that there was a need to
renegotiate the review mechanism.
He also expressed the view that the
proposed appointment of Fr Benito as chairman of the board of management
of a school was unwise. In January 2005, the advisory panel advised that
they would not recommend this appointment.
Archbishop Martin asked Mr
Garland to undertake the interim supervisory management of Fr Benito and in
February 2005 the terms of this supervisory role were agreed.
Mr Garland
identified deficiencies in the behavioural contract and Archbishop Martin
agreed with his recommendations that it would have to be much clearer,
include a supervisory framework and time scales and be signed off by the
Archbishop. The behavioural contract was agreed for the period March 2005
to March 2007.
48.29
In September 2005, Mr Garland recorded that when he met the other
priests in the parish to which Fr Benito had been allocated, they told him that
they were not aware that there were concerns or allegations in respect of Fr
Benito.
Again Bishop Field was not aware until he saw a draft of this report
608
that the priests told Mr Garland this in 2005.
Bishop Field told the
Commission that he had contacted the priests in the parish before this priest‟s
appointment. There is documentary evidence that he did this. Bishop Field
told the Commission that he explained this priest‟s history to the two priests
concerned.
The parish priest told the Commission that Bishop Field
explained to him that Fr Benito had had “an involvement with a lady, I
presumed a fairly young lady”.
The parish priest could not recall whether or
not he was told that there had been a garda or Granada Institute involvement
with the priest but he did know that Fr Benito was “required to see certain
people at certain times and there were meetings that he was required to
attend and that these were to be accommodated within his appointment”.
The parish priest did not say that he was specifically asked to monitor Fr
Benito but he did say that, as a result of his initial conversation with Bishop
Field his “antennae were out at all times for any suggestions or any anxieties
in relation to [Fr Benito‟s] relationships in the parish”. He considered that Fr
Benito had a limited appointment in the parish and he could not appoint him
to any of the schools in the parish without consulting Bishop Field. He did
consult Bishop Field in this regard and the bishop advised against such an
appointment. The parish priest said that, when he met Mr Garland in 2005,
the information provided by Mr Garland “expanded somewhat upon my
existing awareness but did not fundamentally alter my understanding of the
need for vigilance in regard to the manner in which [Fr Benito] was exercising
his ministry”.
The Commission’s assessment
48.30
Archbishop Connell dealt properly with the matter once he was
informed. Subsequent dealings were all appropriate but the Commission is
concerned about the confusion which surrounds the level of information given
to the other priests in the parish to which Fr Benito was assigned in
December 2003. It is clear that Bishop Field did give the parish priest some
information but it was certainly not complete or sufficiently specific.
For
example, the parish priest was not told that there were concerns about Fr
Benito‟s relationship with a boy and he was not told the age of the girl
involved. The parish priest was clear that he had to exercise vigilance and he
did so. In the Commission‟s view, the parish priest should have been given a
more detailed briefing, in particular in a case where there were concerns
about both boys and girls.
The Commission is also concerned about the
609
failure to inform Bishop Field about the advisory panel‟s perception that he
had delayed in reporting a complaint of child sexual abuse. It also seems
strange that he was not told about the 2005 meeting during which Mr Garland
formed the view that the priests of the parish had not been given basic
information when Fr Benito was appointed there.
The Commission is very
concerned that breakdowns in internal archdiocesan communication may still
have been occurring in 2005.
48.31
The Commission notes that the Child Protection Service operated
particularly well in this case in identifying and rectifying the implementation
failures.
48.32
The Gardaí dealt appropriately with the case.
610
Fr Magnus*117
Chapter 49
Introduction
49.1
There are complaints about inappropriate behaviour by Fr Magnus
with vulnerable young adults while he was on the Dublin diocesan pilgrimage
to Lourdes.
The complaints arose in the 2000s.
It was claimed that he
engaged in a 15-minute hug with a young adult (age unknown). This was
witnessed by a number of pilgrims. Other priests on the pilgrimage were
shocked and upset at what they regarded as “inappropriate behaviour”. The
priest who reported the matter to the Archdiocese said it “had to be put into a
wider context of homosexual innuendo among some on the pilgrimage”.
49.2
There was also a complaint that Fr Magnus attempted to chat up
another young man (age unknown) in a bar. That young man wrote a letter of
complaint to the Archdiocese.
49.3
Cardinal Connell referred Fr Magnus to a psychologist. Fr Magnus
readily admitted to the psychologist that there had been an error of judgment
by him regarding boundaries with vulnerable young adults.
Some of the
young people on the trip had intellectual disabilities and emotional problems.
Fr Magnus often offered his services as a psychotherapist to vulnerable
young adults.
49.4
The psychologist was keen that there would be a further assessment
to avoid Fr Magnus being a risk to other vulnerable people.
In her final
assessment, this psychologist recommended that “he would be better placed
in a developed/ more mature settled parish community - one that excludes the
possibility of serving as chaplain to a secondary boy‟s school”.
49.5
During the course of the Commission‟s work a young adult told the
Commission that he had had a relationship with Fr Magnus which started in
1978 and continued until 2003. This person was 18 years old at the start of
the relationship.
117
This is a pseudonym.
611
The Commission’s assessment
49.6
There is no complaint of child sexual abuse against Fr Magnus known
to the Commission. There are concerns about his behaviour with vulnerable
young adults. The Archdiocese is clearly concerned about this behaviour.
However, there is no evidence of criminal behaviour.
49.7
The Commission considers that those with whom Fr Magnus had
contact through his work should have been notified in regard to his behaviour
with vulnerable young adults.
612
Fr Jacobus*118
Chapter 50
Introduction
50.1
Fr Jacobus was a member of a religious order. He was born in 1916,
ordained in 1944 and he died in 2006. He was attached to the Archdiocese of
Dublin from 1970 to 1983. There is one complaint of child sexual abuse
against him.
His order arranged an independent investigation of this
complaint and it was concluded that the complaint did not have substance.
Complaint, 2002
50.2
The complaint was made in April 2002 by a man who alleged he had
been sexually abused two or three times a week in the sacristy of a parish
church in which Fr Jacobus served. The abuse was stated to have occurred
in the period 1972-1975 when he was an altar boy aged between nine and
12. He initially complained to a priest in another diocese who reported the
complaint to his local bishop. That bishop notified the head of the order and
the Archdiocese of Dublin.
The documentation seen by the Commission
suggests that this complainant was a troubled person who suffered from
depression.
50.3
The delegate of the order travelled to meet the complainant. The
complainant told him that he was an altar boy at early morning mass three or
four times a week after which Fr Jacobus would make him remove his
vestments and “feel him”.
He further alleged that on one occasion Fr
Jacobus attempted to bugger him but he resisted.
The abuse allegedly
continued for approximately three years from 1971 to 1974/5. The delegate
noted that the complainant was very emotional and upset during the interview
and took grave exception to a letter sent by the head of the order in which he
used the word “alleged” to describe the abuse. He threatened to go to the
media with the letter. The complainant said that he believed he deserved
compensation and peace of mind.
50.4
The head of the order then interviewed Fr Jacobus. The priest denied
the allegation, saying he was completely innocent and that he had always
been very careful with the altar boys.
118
This is a pseudonym.
613
He was told that it was possible he
would have to be removed from ministry. Subsequently the delegate of the
order met Fr Jacobus. Again Fr Jacobus denied the allegations and forcefully
asserted that the whole thing was about money. He said that mass in the
church in question was at a different time to that specified by the complainant
and that he could not recall there ever being an altar boy at this mass. He
asserted that removing him from ministry would effectively mean an end to his
career as he was 86 years old. He accepted that Gardaí would have to be
informed. Fr Jacobus did, in fact, withdraw from ministry shortly after this
meeting.
50.5
Due to the conflicting versions of events that had been offered by the
parties, the order decided to establish an investigation team under canon law.
The complainant was informed of the priest‟s denial, of the establishment of
an investigation team and that the Gardaí were being informed.
The
complainant agreed to co-operate with the investigation.
50.6
The Gardaí were informed and they interviewed the complainant in
June 2002. However, the complainant did not wish to pursue the matter with
them.
50.7
An investigation team was appointed by the order in August 2002. It
consisted of a social worker and a barrister.
The team started its
investigation promptly.
50.8
In October 2002, the Archdiocese wrote to the head of the order. The
Archdiocese had heard from a local priest about the allegations against Fr
Jacobus. (The Archdiocese had in fact been informed earlier and had made it
clear to the bishop reporting the allegation that the order was the appropriate
body to investigate.)
Fr Jacobus himself disclosed to his local priest and to
the nuns in a convent where he had been ministering that there was a
complaint against him.
It appears from the correspondence between the
Archdiocese and the order that the Archdiocese was not aware that Fr
Jacobus had been ministering in the Archdiocese after his retirement. The
head of the order explained to the Archdiocese that Fr Jacobus had taken on
a number of part-time ministries in convents, nursing homes and parishes
after his retirement but that he had withdrawn from all ministries when the
614
allegations were made. The head of the order also gave the Archdiocese an
account of the allegation and the investigation.
50.9
In January 2003, before the investigation team had reported, the
complainant confirmed to Fr Jacobus‟s solicitor that he would be withdrawing
his allegation. He stated that he had “other people to consider in the matter”.
In March 2003, the head of the order told the Archdiocese that the complaint
had been withdrawn. The Archdiocese, however, expressed concern that this
was merely a qualified retraction and that the complainant could change his
position at a later date.
50.10
In February 2003, the investigating team furnished its report on the
allegation. It concluded that it could not find any substance to the complaint.
The team had interviewed both parties to the allegation, the complainant‟s GP
and counsellor, two priests, two altar boys and a sacristan. The team had
also been furnished with the statement of another man who had been an altar
boy in the early 1970s and a statement from the priest‟s nephew.
The
statement of the other former altar boy contradicted much of the
complainant‟s account of the practices of the altar boys in the parish in
question.
The investigation team concluded that the complainant‟s
description of events was vague and inaccurate and not consistent with that
of an adult recalling childhood experiences. He had become defensive and
challenging when asked for details and they noted that earlier accounts of the
abuse had differed from what he had told the investigating team. Fr Jacobus
had been consistent and firm in his denials of the allegations.
He was
forthcoming regarding details and “nothing in his presentation took from his
credibility”.
50.11
The order‟s advisory panel reviewed the report. The panel supported
the findings of the team that the complaint was not sustainable. It concluded
that Fr Jacobus was to be reinstated and his name restored with those who
knew of the allegations. He was to be permitted to return to his previous
ministry subject to diocesan authority.
50.12
The order asked the Archdiocese to allow Fr Jacobus to return to
ministry. The Archdiocese‟s advisory panel concluded that the Archdiocese
could rely on the report of the order‟s investigating team but recommended
615
that the provincial of the order be formally notified that the Archdiocese was
so relying. Archbishop Connell approved his return to ministry in July 2003
and he returned to ministry that same month.
50.13
The complainant was informed of the findings of the investigation team
by the order in March 2003.
In August 2003, the delegate was told by Fr
Jacobus that the complainant had been found dead at home.
The Commission’s assessment
50.14
This tragic case was properly and quickly handled by all concerned.
The order established an independent investigation team which carried out a
thorough investigation and came to reasonable and sustainable conclusions.
The communication between the order, the Archdiocese, Fr Jacobus and the
bishop of the other diocese was all carried out appropriately.
The
Archdiocese was correct in drawing the order‟s attention to the qualified
nature of the retraction of the complaint.
The investigation proceeded
notwithstanding this retraction – the Commission considers that this was the
correct approach. The Gardaí could not do anything without the co-operation
of the complainant.
616
Chapter 51
Fr Guido*119
Introduction
51.1
There are no allegations of child sexual abuse against Fr Guido but
there were suspicions and concerns.
Fr Guido was ordained in the 1990s
and took up a parish appointment immediately.
In 2002 and 2003, Bishop
Martin Drennan heard reports that Fr Guido was indulging in inappropriate
behaviour which gave rise to concern. He had been seen taking photographs
of male teenagers (mostly rugby players).
He was then offering these
photographs to the players and had been seen in the dormitory of a boarding
school late one night. He had been inviting young people to his house for
meals and collecting teenagers from pubs late at night. He had also taken
young people to Lourdes and joined them for drinking parties.
He had
refused to make changes to the drinking regime on the Lourdes pilgrimage.
When he was invited to boys‟ schools for penance services he started
exchanging telephone numbers with some of the boys and some of the
school staff expressed concern.
Psychological assessment
51.2
Bishop Drennan recommended that he attend at the Granada Institute
for treatment, but he adopted delaying tactics and the Granada Institute then
declined to take him because of his resistance. In May 2003, he was sent for
an initial assessment to a consultant psychologist. During that assessment
he admitted that he was homosexual. He acknowledged that he might be in
the process of developing a problem related to young men. The psychologist
recommended a comprehensive risk assessment to establish the extent of his
problematic behaviour. He recommended that Fr Guido not have any contact
with children or young people until the assessment had been completed and
that he go abroad for treatment.
51.3
Fr Guido was asked to step aside from his curacy pending the
outcome of the report.
51.4
Fr Guido went to a therapeutic facility abroad for assessment. In its
report the clinic stated that Fr Guido did not appear to be at high risk of
violating sexual boundaries with young people. However, his risk of violating
119
This is a pseudonym.
617
emotional boundaries, that is, of growing too close and showing poor
judgment in his actions was significant and had been demonstrated in his
behaviour already. Consequently, in their view, some action needed to be
taken to address his self awareness sexually and emotionally and to alter his
awareness of appropriate boundaries. The clinic confirmed that he had
homosexual leanings. It was recommended that, although he did not
necessarily need to be prevented from working with youths and young adults,
it would be prudent to develop a different focus for his ministry.
The report
recommended a residential programme of treatment.
51.5
Following receipt of the report, it was agreed that Fr Guido would have
a spiritual advisor and would continue to get professional help. It is not clear
from the documentation furnished to the Commission whether he, in fact,
embarked upon the course of residential treatment which had been
recommended. It seems that he returned to Dublin and recommenced his
role as curate. He also continued his involvement in the Dublin Diocesan
pilgrimage.
Further concerns
51.6
In October 2003, he recommenced his inappropriate behaviour. On
the Dublin Diocesan pilgrimage he spent an inordinate amount of time taking
photographs of the boys and arranging to meet them at night. In his
conversations with the boys he talked about his loneliness and he asked for
email addresses. None of the boys made a complaint but they stated that his
behaviour was “fishy”.
51.7
He was immediately suspended from all duties and was admitted to
Stroud. At the time there were eight places on the residential course for child
abusers and the majority of these places were taken by Irish priests.
51.8
In December 2003, the Gardaí were notified about the Church‟s
concerns.
In March 2004, the Gardaí reported that they were satisfied from
their inquiries that there was no evidence of criminal activity in this case.
51.9
The health board was also informed in December 2003. In January
2004, the health board reported that it would not be pursuing an investigation
as there had not been any child abuse allegations made against Fr Guido.
618
51.10
Fr Guido spent nine months in Stroud. He admitted that he had a
homosexual orientation which manifested itself in an attraction to fit young
men. The Archdiocese was obviously concerned as to how this might affect
his future in the priesthood. It was suggested that upon his return to Dublin
he would have a part-time ministry which would involve no contact with young
people. Stroud recommended that he have a limited parochial appointment
as parish chaplain, continue with therapy and spiritual direction, pursue a
course of study related to his ministry and have a priest advisor. It made a
further series of recommendations all of which were put in place by the
Archdiocese.
51.11
When he returned to Dublin, the Archdiocese considered that a course
in pastoral leadership would be suitable for him at that time and decided that
he could live in a presbytery in the city centre. He was sent on a master‟s
course in pastoral leadership.
51.12
The Archdiocese attempted to place him in a parish but there was
considerable difficulty in finding someone prepared to take him when the
circumstances were explained. In January 2005 he was sent for a further
assessment to the psychologist who had assessed him in May 2003. The
psychologist said that, where somebody had expressed a sexual interest in
children and had gone so far as to photograph young people, the Archdiocese
should make a decision in principle as to whether such a person could be
permitted to function in the ministry. The report, while obviously leaving the
decision open to the Archdiocese, left no doubt as to its recommendation that
Fr Guido should not continue in ministry. Stroud did not agree with this. They
believed that he had responded well to the therapy and could be returned to
full ministry.
51.13
Finally, the Archdiocese sought advice from a psychiatrist in Dublin.
He stated that Fr Guido had undergone a very careful and detailed
assessment and treatment process. While he had shown a high motivation in
his participation in the treatment programme, even with ongoing treatment
and support no professional could guarantee that he might not at some point
engage in further inappropriate behaviour towards adolescent boys.
The
psychiatrist recommended that he should not be returned to ministry but
rather that he be helped with ongoing support and therapy to resign and find a
619
new direction in his life.
In June 2005, Archbishop Martin told Fr Guido that
there was no limited ministry that he could give him that would meet the
supervision requirements. There were therefore only two options open to
him, namely, to apply for laicisation or to retire as a priest with no public
ministry. He chose to be laicised.
He has commenced another career. The
Archdiocese spent a substantial amount of money on treatment and on
helping him to establish a new career.
The Commission’s assessment
51.14
The Archdiocese acted correctly in immediately addressing the
concerns and suspicions in this case.
It did everything possible to assist Fr
Guido to address the issues of concern and, when it was clear that a limited
ministry was not possible, it helped him to get started on another career.
620
Fr Rufus*120
Chapter 52
Introduction
52.1
The case of Fr Rufus is illustrative of the difficulties that can arise
when a complaint is received after the alleged abuser has died.
52.2
It is also illustrative of the fact that a victim or victims can suppress
abuse for many many years and of how an event, in this case the public
announcement by a complainant that he had settled his case against Fr
Naughton (see Chapter 29), can reactivate past memories.
52.3
Fr Rufus was born in 1898 and died in 1974. The complaints against
him refer to a period in the 1950s when he was a curate in Harold‟s Cross
and also to a period when he was parish priest in High Street and Arran Quay
in Dublin city centre.
There are three complaints against him; all three
complainants alleged that other people were also abused.
First complaint, 2002
52.4
The first complaint about Fr Rufus came from a woman who was born
in 1944. She informed Gardaí in 2002 that she and her four sisters had been
sexually abused by the priest in the 1950s. Her abuse consisted of digital
penetration.
It continued for three years from age six to nine years.
It
occurred while he was based in Harold‟s Cross and took place in her own
home.
52.5
The complainant asked the Gardaí to check whether or not Fr Rufus
was still alive. On being assured that he had died in 1974, she declined to
give a statement to the Gardaí. She said that her only motivation in reporting
was to ensure that he could not abuse other children.
52.6
This complainant did not contact the Archdiocese at this stage.
Second complaint, 2003
52.7
The next complaint came in February 2003, again from a woman who
was born in 1944. It also related to Fr Rufus‟s time in Harold‟s Cross. She
120
This is a pseudonym.
621
contacted the Archdiocese and a full statement was taken from her by the
delegate, Fr Cyril Mangan. This complainant stated that Fr Rufus was a
family friend and a frequent visitor to her family home. The abuse began
when she was seven years old and continued until she was 12 years old. On
her first visit to his house she was accompanied by a group of girls. One of
the girls said that they all had to huddle together at the door when they were
leaving the house. In her statement to the Gardaí she explained that this was
because the priest would always molest the last one out.
52.8
The complainant alleged that, in addition to putting his hand up her
dress and down her pants, Fr Rufus had also anally raped her in the hallway
of his house. She alleged that this happened on a number of occasions. She
alleged that Fr Rufus would tell her that she was a special girl and that this
was their secret. He warned her that her father would be in trouble if she told
anybody. She tried to tell a priest in confession about it, but he refused to
give her absolution.
This priest was also dead at this stage. The abuse
stopped when she went to secondary school.
52.9
She did at a later date attempt to confront Fr Rufus when he moved to
the High Street parish but she was unable to do so. He was in High Street
from 1961 to 1967.
52.10
Fr Mangan followed up the complaint and told the complainant that, in
accordance with Church policies on child sexual abuse, he would inform the
Gardaí. He did this and he provided the complainant with information on
counselling. The complainant also made a statement to the Gardaí.
Third complaint, 2003
52.11
In February 2003, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation
received a telephone call on their hotline from a male alleging that he had
been abused by Fr Rufus in the years 1963 - 1966 when the priest was
attached to High Street parish. The complainant said he was aged between
seven and ten at the time and indicated that he wished to make a formal
statement.
52.12
Even though there was no prospect of a prosecution, the complainant
was interviewed two weeks later by the Gardaí at his home. He informed the
622
Gardaí that he became an altar boy when he was about seven years old and
that Fr Rufus was the parish priest of High Street at the time. He ceased to
be an altar boy when he began secondary school.
52.13
He claimed he was frequently abused by Fr Rufus during his time as
an altar boy and that the incidents of abuse occurred in a little room for the
altar boys in the sacristy. He claimed the abuse consisted of touching his
penis and fondling him.
He did not wish to go into more detail, but he
explained that the media hype around clerical sexual abuse was having an
effect on him. He also claimed that not alone was he abused, but that three
of his brothers were also abused. Neither this complainant nor his brothers
reported the abuse at the time. He said he had contacted the health board
about six months previously and was receiving counselling under its
auspices.
52.14
In September 2003, this complainant made a formal complaint to the
Archdiocese. His complaint was dealt with by Fr Aquinas Duffy.
The
complainant inquired whether or not priests who had suspicions in the 1960s
would have reported them to the authorities. Fr Duffy explained to him that it
would have been highly unlikely at that time that priests would have had any
suspicions and it would have been rare for them to bring any suspicions that
they might have had to the attention of the authorities. He explained to the
complainant that the protection of children was of paramount importance in
the procedures that were being followed in 2003.
52.15
Fr Duffy followed up the meeting with the complainant with an offer of
help from the Faoiseamh helpline for him and any of his brothers who might
require it. Fr Duffy also informed Fr Mangan about this complaint. This was
the second formal complaint about Fr Rufus which had been received by the
Archdiocese.
Frs Duffy and Mangan decided that the complainant from
Harold‟s Cross should be informed of the fact that there was a second
complaint and this was done (it should be noted that the first complainant
from Harold‟s Cross was not known to the Archdiocese at this stage).
The garda response
52.16
As Fr Rufus was dead there was no question of a prosecution. The
Gardaí sought the permission of the first complainant who had alleged abuse
623
in Harold‟s Cross, but did not want to pursue the matter, to allow them to
inform the Archdiocese about her complaint and this they did.
The archdiocesan response
52.17
The Archdiocese was faced with a real dilemma in this case. On the
one hand, it had received two allegations which were credible. On the other
hand, the alleged perpetrator was dead for almost 30 years and could not be
confronted with the allegations.
The secret archives were searched and
nothing was found. A comprehensive investigation was carried out among
priests who had known Fr Rufus. Inquiries from those who knew Fr Rufus
confirmed that he was the priest in Harold‟s Cross at the time of the
allegations and also that he was the parish priest in High Street at the time of
the young man‟s allegations. It was also confirmed by those who knew Fr
Rufus that he had “a great relationship” with children and that, while he was in
Harold‟s Cross, children were in and out of his house all the time.
52.18
He was regarded as a kind priest by those who knew him and, on
being elevated to parish priest, was very caring of his curates. One priest did
confirm that the priest who had heard the complaint about Fr Rufus in the
confessional was quite likely to behave in the manner described.
52.19
There were a number of meetings between the second complainant
and the Child Protection Service of the Archdiocese (CPS). In 2004, she
alleged that a Garda had told her that there were other complainants. The
Director of the CPS wrote to the Gardaí inquiring about this. The Gardaí,
having established that the complainants had no objection to their names
being given to the Archdiocese, told the CPS that there were two other
complainants – the first Harold‟s Cross complainant and the High Street
complainant.
Until this the Archdiocese had not been aware of the first
Harold‟s Cross complaint.
52.20
The Archdiocese made contact with the first complainant from
Harold‟s Cross and encouraged her and her sisters to seek counselling if they
so required.
52.21
The second Harold‟s Cross complainant and the High Street
complainant issued civil proceedings against the Archdiocese.
624
The
Archdiocese was puzzled as to how it could be civilly liable in relation to
complaints that were surfacing many years after the death of the alleged
perpetrator and where it had no notice of any suspicions about the priest in
question during his life.
52.22
In the end, it was agreed that the claims would go to mediation. They
were settled in 2005/2006 by the Archdiocese without any admission of
liability.
The Commission’s assessment
52.23
The Archdiocese dealt with these complaints properly.
The
procedures were all followed and there was good communication within the
Archdiocese and between the Archdiocese and the Gardaí.
These
complaints were made around the time that the Child Protection Service was
being set up. The follow-up with the complainants was good.
52.24
As the priest was dead, there was nothing further the Archdiocese or
the Gardaí could do.
625
Fr Ignatio*121
Chapter 53
Introduction
53.1
Fr Ignatio is a member of a religious order. He was born in 1914 and
ordained in 1941. He spent most of his working life in the Archdiocese of
Dublin.
Complaint, 2002
53.2
There is one complaint against Fr Ignatio. He was almost 90 years old
when the complaint was made.
53.3
In 2002, a young man went to a member of the order who was working
in the Archdiocese of Dublin at the time to plan his wedding. The young man
told this priest that his mother had been abused by a member of the same
religious order 40 years earlier when she was about 13.
His mother had
recently complained to the local parish priest who had independently
contacted the delegate for the order.
53.4
The priest to whom the young man spoke tried to establish the identity
of the alleged abuser and concluded that it was a member of his order but he
could not identify him. This priest met the woman and apologised to her. He
and the delegate from the order then met her and her husband. She told
them that the abuse had occurred when she was bringing some goods to the
order‟s house.
She had suffered psychiatric problems all her life and was
very distressed at the meeting. She had only recently told her family what
had happened. She did not know the alleged abuser‟s name but was able to
give a limited physical description. The delegate had no doubt about her
truthfulness. The order arranged counselling for her and her husband.
It
seems the delegate met the complainant and her husband again in their
home. No significant further information emerged from that meeting.
53.5
The order‟s advisory panel met to consider the case in September
2002. The group considered the possibility that this was a case of „False
Recovered Memory Syndrome‟ – in effect, they wondered did the abuse as
described ever happen or was the abuse caused by somebody else. It was
121
This is a pseudonym.
626
agreed that the delegate would remain in contact with the complainant and
would discuss the matter with her again after she had some counselling.
53.6
Some weeks later, the complainant wrote to the delegate saying she
was very disappointed and hurt that he had not contacted her as he had
promised to do this after a couple of sessions with the counsellor. She felt
that the delegate did not believe her. It should be noted that it is clear to the
Commission that, in all his dealings with this case, the delegate did believe
that she was abused; he was having difficulty establishing who the abuser
might be. At this stage the complainant had not named her alleged abuser.
53.7
The order reported the matter to the Gardaí in December 2002. The
woman made a complaint to the Gardaí in January 2003. She alleged she
was raped by the priest on the Thursday of Halloween week 1962 when she
was delivering goods to the order‟s house and she tentatively identified the
priest as Fr Ignatio. She gave a physical description of him.
She gave a
very detailed description of how she came to be delivering goods to the
order‟s house. This description is clearly credible and fits with the activities
which were carried out in that particular house. In April 2003, she made a
further statement to the Gardaí in which she positively identified the priest as
Fr Ignatio. She claimed it was he because she had recently attended his
sister‟s funeral and recognised his voice. After the funeral, she saw him and
recognised him. She also saw his picture in the order publication.
53.8
The order informed Fr Ignatio of the complaint. He strenuously denied
ever having been involved in “anything inappropriate with man, woman or
child”.
53.9
Fr Ignatio was interviewed by the Gardaí. He was accompanied by his
solicitor. He had no recollection of the woman‟s name or her family. The
Gardaí outlined the allegation to him. On his solicitor‟s advice, he declined to
answer many of the questions. A short time later, he swore and signed a
statement stating that the allegations against him were entirely false.
53.10
Having investigated this complaint, the order took the view that this
was a case of mistaken identity. The order believed the complainant was
abused but not by Fr Ignatio.
627
53.11
The priest to whom the son had originally spoken met the woman
many times and provided considerable pastoral support to her. That priest
officiated at the son‟s wedding.
53.12
The Gardaí, having investigated the complaint, forwarded the file to
the DPP but the garda inspector did not recommend prosecution because of
the identification problems, the lack of corroborative evidence, the age of the
suspect and the psychological state of the complainant.
53.13
The DPP decided not to institute charges.
As well as the issues
identified by the Gardaí, the DPP considered that the delay posed
insurmountable difficulties.
The Commission’s assessment
53.14
There can be little doubt that this complainant was abused and it
seems probable that she was abused by a member or employee of this
religious order. However, it also seems probable that the priest named by her
is not the abuser.
53.15
The order dealt well with the complainant.
It investigated the
complaint as far as possible and came to a reasonable conclusion.
53.16
The Gardaí dealt appropriately with the complaint.
628
Chapter 54
Fr Cornelius*122
Introduction
54.1
Fr Cornelius was born in 1913 and ordained in 1937. He held various
appointments throughout the Dublin Archdiocese over the following 48 years
and eventually became a parish priest. He retired in 1985 on the grounds of
ill health. He died in 1994, eight years before the allegations known to the
Commission were made against him.
The Commission is aware of two
allegations of child sexual abuse against him. It is alleged that the abuse
occurred in the period 1962 – 1971.
First allegation
54.2
The first allegation was made to the Gardaí in October 2002 by a
woman who alleged that she had been abused by Fr Cornelius on two
occasions in 1963. In a detailed statement to the Gardaí, she said that when
Fr Cornelius arrived in her parish, he became very friendly with her parents.
He frequently called to the house and gave her favourable treatment at the
time of her First Communion. He then invited her to his house for tea where
on two occasions he sat her on his knee and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The assaults consisted of hugging tightly and kissing on the face and neck.
He would also get her to kiss him on the neck.
54.3
This complainant also told the Gardaí that, in 1980, she spoke to a
newly ordained priest about Fr Cornelius. She states that she was told by this
young priest that Fr Cornelius had been ministering in a parish on the north
side of Dublin but had been removed and sent for treatment following
complaints by parents in the parish to the bishop. The Commission has no
independent evidence of any such complaints against Fr Cornelius, nor is
there any evidence that he was sent for treatment.
He was ministering in a
north side parish at the time. There is no record in the archdiocesan files of a
complaint in 1980 nor is there evidence that he was removed from his parish.
54.4
When investigating this complaint in 2002/2003, the Gardaí requested
a copy of Fr Cornelius‟s CV from the Archdiocese. This was provided. There
is no evidence that the Archdiocese was aware of why this request was
122
This is a pseudonym.
629
made. The Child Protection Service (CPS) of the Archdiocese contacted the
Gardaí in July 2004 to find out if there were any allegations against Fr
Cornelius. The CPS was told by the Gardaí that the woman had made a
complaint but they had concluded that the allegations did not constitute
anything criminal. The woman did not want her identity disclosed to any third
party nor did she want to be contacted by the Archdiocese.
Second allegation
54.5
The second allegation was made in November 2005 to the
Archdiocese by the mother of a woman who had committed suicide in 2004.
She alleged that her daughter had been sexually assaulted by Fr Cornelius
on several occasions while she was a schoolgirl, around 1971. This allegedly
occurred in the same parish as the first allegation. The extent of the alleged
abuse is not known to the Commission except for one specific incident of
alleged penetration.
54.6
The mother was visited by the Child Protection Service victim support
co-ordinator. She was offered counselling but she declined the offer. She
told the support co-ordinator of other suspicions about Fr Cornelius in the
1970s. The Archdiocese informed the Gardaí. The woman did not want the
Gardaí to contact her.
The Gardaí concluded that there would be no
investigation as both parties to the allegation were dead. The Archdiocese
offered the mother a meeting with Archbishop Martin but this was declined.
The Commission’s assessment
54.7
The Archdiocese and the Gardaí dealt with these allegations
appropriately.
630
Chapter 55
Fr Ricardus*123
Introduction
55.1
Fr Ricardus was falsely accused of child sexual abuse.
He was
ordained in the 1960s and has worked in a number of parishes in the
Archdiocese. He was a parish priest at the time the allegation was made and
he still is.
55.2
The Commission is particularly grateful to Fr Ricardus for giving
evidence to it about his experience. The entire experience was extremely
difficult and harrowing for him. He graphically described the shock of being
informed there was an allegation of child sexual abuse against him, the
feeling of alienation and abandonment when he was asked to step aside from
ministry, the long wait for the processes to be gone through. He was out of
ministry for eight and a half months. He did a course during this time. He
also described the helpfulness of his family and colleagues. The Commission
commends his courage in agreeing to give evidence but, more importantly, in
getting on with his life and putting this experience behind him in so far as is
possible.
The allegation, 2003
55.3
The allegation against Fr Ricardus was made in January 2003. A man
accused him of sexual assault, buggery and attempted oral rape, which he
alleged took place in 1981 during the course of religion lessons in preparation
for holy communion.
55.4
The complaint was initially made in a letter to another priest. The
complainant alleged that he was abused when he was aged seven by an
unnamed priest. This other priest prepared a letter to both the Archdiocese
and the Gardaí. The complainant subsequently told him that he did not want
to involve the Gardaí at that stage and the letter was consequently not sent to
them.
The complainant was asked to meet Monsignor Dolan at the
Chancellery in order to make a formal complaint. The complainant asked the
Archdiocese for payment for counselling fees that he had incurred. He was
123
This is a pseudonym.
631
advised that his case would be referred to the advisory panel and that Fr
Ricardus would be requested to step aside from ministry.
55.5
Cardinal Connell met Fr Ricardus who vehemently denied the
allegations but agreed to stand down from ministry as requested.
A priest
advisor was appointed. This priest advisor was very supportive and, indeed,
accompanied Fr Ricardus when he gave evidence to the Commission. Fr
Ricardus was advised by the Archdiocese to employ his own solicitor; the
Archdiocese did pay the costs involved. Monsignor Dolan notified the Gardaí
of the complaint and informed the complainant of Fr Ricardus‟s denials and of
his agreement to step aside from ministry.
55.6
The advisory panel met and considered that it was not advisable for Fr
Ricardus to return to ministry at that time. The Granada Institute carried out
an assessment of Fr Ricardus at the instigation of his solicitor. The contents
of this assessment were favourable to Fr Ricardus and were passed on to the
Archdiocese.
55.7
Monsignor Dolan investigated the facts alleged by the complainant.
During this investigation, certain possible inconsistencies were identified by
relevant witnesses. Notwithstanding the issues that were being raised during
the investigation, Monsignor Dolan arranged for part of the complainant‟s
continuing counselling fees to be paid through Faoiseamh in accordance with
a recommendation of the advisory panel.
55.8
In April 2003, Monsignor Dolan contacted the Gardaí in order to find
out if the complainant had made a formal complaint to them. In fact, the
complainant first made a statement of complaint to the Gardaí in June 2003
and his parents made statements in July 2003 which corroborated certain
peripheral surrounding facts relevant to the allegation made by their son but
not, of course, the direct allegation of abuse. Later in the year, his father
withdrew some of those earlier assertions. He admitted that his son had told
him what to say as he had no personal recollection of those matters. His
mother also later admitted that she had made some errors in her recollection
of events.
632
55.9
When the advisory panel met in August 2003, its view was that Fr
Ricardus should not return to ministry until such time at it was clear that
criminal proceedings were not being brought. The investigation by Monsignor
Dolan had not produced any further evidence which would support the
allegations.
The archdiocesan investigation was completed by early
September 2003. This found that the allegation did not have substance and it
permitted Fr Ricardus‟s eventual return to ministry. However, he could not
actually return until the Garda investigation had been completed and a
decision had been taken by the DPP not to prosecute.
55.10
The complainant‟s solicitors told the Archdiocese and Fr Ricardus that
it was intended to take civil proceedings seeking compensation for the
personal injuries, loss and damage that he alleged he suffered as a result of
his alleged abuse. The complainant made a claim for damages in September
2003.
55.11
The Garda investigation resulted in a file being sent to the DPP. In
December 2003, the DPP decided not to prosecute. The Gardaí immediately
began an investigation of the complainant.
55.12
In September 2004, following the Garda investigation, the complainant
was charged with knowingly making a false statement pursuant to Section 12
(a) of the Criminal Law Act 1976.
The complainant was convicted and
sentenced to four years imprisonment. After an appeal, his conviction was
upheld and the term of imprisonment was reduced to three years.
The
identity of Fr Ricardus was withheld from publication throughout by order of
the court.
The priest’s perspective
55.13
In February 2004, the Archdiocese wrote to Fr Ricardus asking him to
meet Philip Garland, the Director of the Child Protection Service in order to
see if the Archdiocese could learn from his case. In correspondence, Fr
Ricardus expressed his dissatisfaction with the manner in which the
archdiocesan authorities had dealt with allegations against him and regretted
the absence of an apology for his treatment.
633
55.14
Fr Ricardus is of the view that a proper investigation of the complaint
ought to have been carried out before he was asked to step down and he
questioned whether the appropriate Church guidelines had been correctly
implemented in his case.
His view was that “suspicion”, which was the
requirement for a request to step down under the guidelines, was a
requirement that envisaged more than just a mere complaint.
55.15
Fr Ricardus told the Commission that he considered that, before a
priest is requested to stand down, there should at least be a prima facie case
against him and there should be an early preliminary hearing. He considered
that there was an absence of due process applying to the treatment of the
priest and that the investigation process was too slow. He considered that it
was advisable that, when an allegation was made against a priest, he should
be monitored in his own home, as much for the safety of the public as for the
well being of the accused priest.
55.16
Fr Ricardus also told the Commission that, in spite of his reservations
about the way priests are treated, he would report any allegations of which he
became aware and would favour the application of the rules.
The Commission’s assessment
55.17
The management of the complaint by the Archdiocese in this case,
although understandably viewed by Fr Ricardus as harsh, was in compliance
with the Church guidelines in place at the time.
While recognising and
appreciating the enormous hurt, anger and stress suffered by Fr Ricardus, the
Commission considers that the Archdiocese was obliged to ask him to step
aside from active ministry as soon as it became aware of the complaint. A
hasty preliminary investigation by the Archdiocese into the complaint made
prior to asking the priest to stand aside may well have led to further injustice
being suffered by the priest concerned.
Although Fr Ricardus did suffer
considerably from the consequences of the false accusations, the
Commission considers that the Archdiocese did act appropriately.
55.18
The Archdiocese co-operated fully with the Gardaí in their
investigation.
The Gardaí managed their investigation in a professional,
timely and efficient manner.
634
Chapter 56
Fr Augustus*124
Introduction
56.1
This case involves a priest who had difficulty with the vow of celibacy
which he took when he was ordained. He did parish work for a number of
years and left this to work in the public service.
He has ceased active
ministry and was recently laicised.
Complaints
56.2
In 2003 a woman told the bishop of the area where Fr Augustus was
then living that, in 1984, when she was 17 years old, she had had sex on two
occasions with Fr Augustus.
She said that she and her boyfriend were
friendly with him and they stayed with him on a number of occasions. On two
occasions she visited him alone and she spent the night with him. She said
that, while the sex was consensual, she felt emotionally manipulated. She
stated that her boyfriend had made a complaint to the Archdiocese at the
time, in 1984, but that nothing was done about it.
56.3
The Gardaí were notified about this complaint and they interviewed
the young woman but she was adamant that no criminal activity had taken
place and did not wish to pursue the matter.
56.4
The bishop told the Archdiocese and Fr Augustus was interviewed by
archdiocesan officials. He told them that he had great difficulty with celibacy
in the earlier years of his priesthood and that he had had two brief
relationships with women. He had spoken to his auxiliary bishop on a regular
basis about his struggle and he was encouraged to pray through it. The
auxiliary bishop arranged extensive psychosexual therapy for Fr Augustus.
56.5
Fr Augustus admitted having had sex with the woman in question. He
also admitted that he had had a sexual relationship with another woman in
1987. He said that this woman was over 18 years old but that the matter had
been reported to the Archdiocese at the time and a full statement taken from
the woman.
124
This is a pseudonym.
635
56.6
This matter was also reported in 2004 to the Gardaí. The woman in
question refused to make a complaint to the Gardai and their file on the
matter was closed.
56.7
The health board in the region where he was living was notified but did
not consider that there was child sexual abuse involved.
The Commission’s assessment
56.8
The Commission is satisfied that the complaint made in 2003 was
dealt with appropriately by the Archdiocese, the other diocese, the health
board and the Gardaí.
56.9
The Commission is concerned that the church files contained no
reference to the complaint made in 1984 or to Fr Augustus‟s discussions on
the issue with the auxiliary bishop. Both the complainant and Fr Augustus
claim the matter was known to the Archdiocese.
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Chapter 57
Fr Ezio*125
Introduction
57.1
Fr Ezio was a member of a religious order. He was born in 1893,
ordained in 1921 and died in 1977. He did not have a specific appointment in
the Archdiocese of Dublin but he lived and worked in his order‟s houses in
Dublin from 1958 until his death. He was granted a number of certificates by
Archbishop McQuaid and Archbishop Ryan to hear confessions and to
preach.
These certificates were normally applied for by, and granted to,
priests who were going to conduct retreats for religious within the
Archdiocese.
Complaint, 2003
57.2
In December 2003, a woman told another priest of this order that she
had been abused by Fr Ezio over the period 1959 to 1962. The woman‟s
father was the caretaker of one of the order‟s premises in Dublin. The alleged
abuse occurred in that premises and in the woman‟s home to which Fr Ezio
was a frequent visitor.
57.3
The priest to whom the woman complained was a very old man at the
time he heard this complaint. It seems that he did not report immediately to
the head of the order or to the delegate. He did not seem to be aware of the
procedures for dealing with sexual abuse complaints.
He discussed the
matter with his own solicitor. He asked the woman to put “the minimum”
down on paper. She did this. His solicitor told the order about the complaint.
57.4
The delegate met the complainant in April 2004. She told him she had
not yet gone to the Gardaí nor had she told her children about it.
The
delegate offered counselling. He reported the matter to the Gardaí and the
complainant also reported to the Gardaí.
The Commission’s assessment
57.5
Fr Ezio was dead for over 25 years when the complaint was made, so
there was no possibility of investigating it in any meaningful way. The order
and the Gardaí dealt appropriately with the complainant.
125
This is a pseudonym.
637
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Chapter 58
Complainants
Introduction
“The Church failed us. They failed us as Catholics. They failed me as a
human being. They took my soul.”
58.1
That was how one of the complainants who gave evidence to the
Commission described his viewpoint some 32 years after the event about
which he had complained took place. His sentiment was echoed and reechoed by other complainants who came forward to the Commission. Many
of those who came forward were people whose sexual abuse as children, by
clerics of the Dublin Archdiocese, had been confirmed, either by admissions
of the priest concerned or by his conviction for the offences in the criminal
courts.
These witnesses were anxious that the Commission should
understand and appreciate the potentially devastating long term effects of
child sexual abuse, not merely on the child, but also on the wider family.
A
number of issues were raised.
Difficulties in relationships
58.2
A number of the complainants found great difficulty in establishing and
maintaining close trusting and intimate relationships.
Most of the male
complainants stated that they had extreme difficulty in becoming intimate or
expressing vulnerability with their partners. Some of the women had later
entered into abusive relationships. One complainant, having received
counselling for the effects of the abuse, stated that the happiest day of his life
was the day he turned around when going out to work and for the first time
picked up his two-year-old daughter and hugged her.
Prior to receiving
counselling he had been afraid to do so. Almost all of the complainants paid
great tribute to their spouses or partners for their fortitude in dealing with their
behaviour and trauma.
Effect on religious belief
58.3
A substantial number of the complainants and their families had
ceased to be practising Catholics.
Many of these people had played
prominent roles, such as ministers of the Eucharist and altar boys, in their
parishes. A number of them spoke of being ostracised both by the clergy and
their fellow parishioners to whom they had complained. A number of them
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were visited by individual priests shortly after they had complained but they
felt that this was done in an attempt to defuse the situation. Their perception
was that as soon as the danger of publicity passed the visits ceased.
Transference of guilt
58.4
Some of the complainants were left with the feeling following the
abuse that they were complicit in the abuse, such was their esteem for the
priest.
During much of the period under review, the status of priesthood
seemed, in the minds of the complainants, to confer a special power. The
use of this power to abuse children appears to be a classic illustration of the
effect of the abuse of power on vulnerable people.
Some complainants
thought that since a priest would not voluntarily break his vows, the abuse
must in some way have been their fault. For many of the complainants this
belief persisted into adulthood and added to their mental trauma.
Stated effects of abuse
58.5
Many complainants recounted a feeling of worthlessness. They were
told by their abusers that they were no good and they believed them. They
spoke of ambitions being thwarted.
58.6
Some complainants told the Commission of friends who had been
abused and who had subsequently committed suicide. It was their belief that
the abuse was a major contributory factor. A number of the complainants
themselves spoke of having suicidal tendencies.
As described by the
complainants, one of the most crippling aspects of the abuse was the
development of a mentality in which the complainants saw themselves as
powerless and helpless. These feelings arose even in people who had
outwardly made a success of their lives.
58.7
abuse.
Many of the complainants recounted a history of drug/and or alcohol
Other problems identified by the complainants included difficulty
managing anger, sexual compulsiveness, self destructive behaviour,
depression, isolation and poor self esteem.
Fear of not being believed
58.8
A number of the complainants were concerned that they would not be
believed if they reported the abuse. They thought themselves to be the only
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complainant. In fact in the majority of cases known to the Commission in
which a child complained of abuse to their parents, the parents did believe
them. Many parents went to great lengths to try to have the priests removed
or to remove the child from any possible contact with the priest which, in at
least one case, involved moving house.
58.9
Many of the complainants had not disclosed their childhood abuse
until they had reached maturity. In a number of cases it was when they
became more mature and realised that their interpersonal relationships were
not what they hoped that they revealed the abuse. Given that the number of
complainants known to the Commission is considerably less than the number
of people whose abuse has been admitted by the priests in the representative
sample, it is essential that the support programmes currently in place for
complainants continue into the foreseeable future to ensure a support system
for those who may yet come forward.
The effect on the families
58.10
“My parents are destroyed as parents. They live with the guilt of this
every day.” The abuse reported in the 1970s and 1980s was in the main
reported by parents. From the evidence given to the Commission, there is no
doubt that the abuse also had an effect on families. This was compounded by
what they perceived to be the dismissive attitude of the Archdiocese.
58.11
A mother, two of whose children had been subjected to horrific sexual
abuse by a priest, and who continue to experience the effects two decades
later, told the Commission: “He destroyed a family and destroyed the children
that came after the children of the family, because everybody was and still is,
so badly affected by it”.
58.12
A mother who attended the Commission with her daughter who had
been abused on a number of occasions during Confession stated: “There isn‟t
a day goes by that I don‟t think about it. I know people say it‟s stupid, you
should forget about. You should put it out of your mind. But you can‟t. I can‟t
anyway. I think, you know it will live with me forever”.
58.13
Some parents told the Commission that they still feel enormous, albeit
entirely unwarranted, guilt that they had failed to notice the abuse and that
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they had failed to note the warning signs from their sons or daughters when
they asked not to go with a particular priest. Some parents became alienated
from their children.
parents.
A number of children became alienated from their
However most of the families who gave evidence before the
Commission have been reconciled; others, unfortunately, remain alienated.
Betrayal
58.14
One unifying strand in all of the complainants‟ evidence heard by the
Commission was the sense of dismay and anger felt by them that their
Church, in which they had placed the utmost faith and trust, had in their view,
duped and manipulated them over the years and that it had done so in order
to preserve its reputation and its assets. Unlike Church authorities,
complainants did not perceive any distinction between their local church and
the universal church. They were shocked by the growing realisation that their
Church founded on a gospel of love, truth and justice could treat its own
members, many of them defenceless children, so shabbily.
58.15
A common refrain amongst the complainants was that the nature of
the apologies issued by the Archdiocese was general rather than specific.
They stated that this type of apology was not sufficient to ease their personal
pain. They felt that if they could meet someone in authority who would
personally apologise to them for the hurt and trauma they had suffered this
would greatly help them.
Some acknowledged the fact that Archbishop
Martin had met them personally and apologised to them.
58.16
Asked what he wished for from the investigation, Andrew Madden (see
Chapter 24) stated that he wanted a full exposition of how the Dublin
Archdiocese handled cases. He said: “I think it‟s important to expose the
spinning and the mistruths that have been there.”
Another complainant
responded when asked the same question: “I‟d like them to take responsibility
for things they did. I want them to realise that these abuses, people carry
them through their whole life and even their own families can be victims
afterwards.
It‟s a cycle that has to be broken and these people have to
realise the damage they‟re causing”.
58.17
A young man who claimed that he had been abused by Fr Tom
Naughton (see Chapter 29) in Valleymount told the Commission:
642
“I want people to know that Tom Naughton abused people in
Valleymount because I think it might help some people … because I
think a lot of men now are probably thinking what I was thinking ten
years ago, which is that it was my fault, I did something wrong ...”.
58.18
He was angry that even now, in his view, the Archdiocese was not
making any real attempt to reach out to all those who had been abused. He
said of the Archdiocesan officials: “you deal with me when I‟m a threat to you
legally but when I‟m not a threat to you, you ignore me”.
He wants them to
set up a helpline independent of Church control that those complaining of
abuse could contact because as he said: “it‟s the silent ones, the quiet ones
who can‟t bring themselves to admit to either their families or their wives or
their children, what‟s happened to them. They‟re living this horrible, horrible
life. It‟s full of lies. It‟s full of deceit and they‟re really struggling with it”.
58.19
Marie Collins was particularly angered by the use by Church
authorities of „mental reservation‟ in dealing with complaints.
Mental
reservation is a concept developed and much discussed over the centuries,
which permits a churchman knowingly to convey a misleading impression to
another person without being guilty of lying. For example, John calls to the
parish priest to make a complaint about the behaviour of one of his curates.
The parish priest sees him coming but does not want to see him because he
considers John to be a troublemaker. He sends another of his curates to
answer the door. John asks the curate if the parish priest is in. The curate
replies that he is not. This is clearly untrue but in the Church‟s view it is not a
lie because, when the curate told John that the parish priest was not in, he
mentally reserved to himself the words „to you‟.
58.20
Cardinal Connell explained the concept of mental reservation to the
Commission in the following way:
“Well, the general teaching about mental reservation is that you are
not permitted to tell a lie. On the other hand, you may be put in a
position where you have to answer, and there may be circumstances
in which you can use an ambiguous expression realising that the
person who you are talking to will accept an untrue version of
whatever it may be - permitting that to happen, not willing that it
happened, that would be lying. It really is a matter of trying to deal
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with extraordinarily difficult matters that may arise in social relations
where people may ask questions that you simply cannot answer.
Everybody knows that this kind of thing is liable to happen. So, mental
reservation is, in a sense, a way of answering without lying.”
58.21
Both Marie Collins and Andrew Madden independently furnished the
Commission with examples of how this concept was deployed by the
Archdiocese in dealing with their complaints. In 2003, Mr Madden was invited
to meet Cardinal Connell. In the course of an informal chat Cardinal Connell
did apologise for the whole handling of the Fr Ivan Payne case. He was
however at pains to point out to Mr Madden that he did not lie about the use
of diocesan funds in meeting Fr Payne‟s settlement with Mr Madden. He
explained that when he was asked by journalists about the use of diocesan
funds for the compensation of complainants of child sexual abuse, he had
responded that diocesan funds are not used for such a purpose; that he had
not said that diocesan funds were not used for such a purpose. By using the
present tense, he had not excluded the possibility that diocesan funds had
been used for such purpose in the past. According to Mr Madden, Cardinal
Connell considered that there was an enormous difference between the two.
58.22
After the conviction of Fr Edmondus* for the child sexual abuse of Mrs
Collins and others in the criminal courts, in 1997, the Dublin Archdiocese
issued a press statement claiming that they had co-operated with the Gardaí
in relation to Mrs Collins‟s complaint. Mrs Collins was upset by that statement
as she had good reason to believe that the Archdiocese‟s level of cooperation was, to say the least, questionable. Her support priest, Fr James
Norman, subsequently told the Gardaí that he asked the Archdiocese about
that statement and that the explanation he received was that “we never said
we cooperated „fully‟”, placing emphasis on the word „fully‟.
Reporting to the Gardaí
58.23
Initially many complainants and their families were reluctant to report
clerical child sexual abuse to the Gardaí. This was mainly because they did
not wish to cause scandal to the Church. It is notable that by the time they
gave evidence to the Commission, most of the complainants were of the view
that the Gardaí were the appropriate people to whom to report.
Many
considered that there should be an obligation on the authorities, including the
644
Church, to report all allegations and suspicions of child sexual abuse. In
other words, they now support mandatory reporting.
Post 1995
58.24
While outwardly the Dublin Archdiocese may have appeared to have
been striving to come to terms with its responsibilities in relation to child
sexual abuse by clerics, and to „repair the scandal caused‟, by issuing
apologies and by formulating guidelines for the future handling by the Church
of complaints of child sexual abuse, the experience of individual complainants
does not always bear this out according to their testimony.
Complainants
who came forward after 1995 were treated in much the same way as
complainants had earlier been treated.
Their complaints were received
without comment. Until the latter end of the period under review they were
generally told nothing of what the Archdiocese knew about the priest
concerned.
58.25
Under the Framework Document (see Chapter 7), there were three
important positions to be filled by the Archdiocese. First, there was to be an
appropriately trained delegate who was to ensure the implementation of the
protocol to be followed where a complaint of clerical child sexual abuse was
received.
Secondly, there was to be a support person who was to be
available to the complainants and their families.
Their role was to assist
complainants and to facilitate them in gaining access to information and help,
and to represent their concerns on an ongoing basis.
Specifically, the
support person was to:
consider any wishes of the complainant in regard to a pastoral
response by the Church to his or her family;
be available to the complainant throughout any investigation which
might ensue and thereafter as required;
ensure that the complainant was kept informed of developments in
regard to the complaint;
represent the wishes and any therapeutic needs of the complainant to
the delegate as required;
arrange, if considered helpful, a meeting between the complainant and
the bishop.
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58.26
Thirdly, the diocese was to appoint an adviser who was to be
appropriately trained and who was take care of all the pastoral, legal and
therapeutic issues arising for the accused priest. In essence, the adviser was
to have the same duties towards the priest complained of as the support
person had for the complainant.
58.27
If followed, the guidelines might have provided an „equality of arms‟ in
relation to the Archdiocese‟s handling of complaints. It might have achieved a
restoration of justice as required by Canon 1341. However the Archdiocese
did not establish any proper support service for complainants until 2003 and
then only after agitation from people like Mrs Collins.
58.28
A woman described to the Commission her experience of going to
Archbishop‟s house alone to make a complaint in October 1998, two and a
half years after the publication of the Framework Document: “I didn‟t go in the
front gate on Drumcondra Road. I went in a very, very dark gate and up a
flight of stone steps into a very dark room and that‟s where he spoke to me.
He listened to what I had to say. That‟s all.
He just listened.
He was
passive”.
58.29
After 1995 people began to issue civil proceedings for damages
against the Archdiocese in increasing numbers. Seventy seven civil claims
for damages have been made against the Dublin Archdiocese in respect of
the priests in the representative sample.
It is worth noting that the
Archdiocese for many years relied fully, as of course it is entitled to do, on its
legal rights in defending such claims during the period under review.
The
principle of „restorative justice‟ which the Archdiocese purports to espouse,
was not applied to any claim seen by the Commission during the period of its
remit. The Commission has learned that many cases are now mediated and
complainants have found this process less intimidating.
58.30
Some complainants explained to the Commission that they brought
civil proceedings out of frustration with the way in which they were being dealt
with and on the advice of professionals. In the words of the woman whose
two children were brutally abused:
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“When people say were they compensated and was it adequate, we
were just ordinary people.
We weren‟t money orientated… It was
through professional people who advised them, friends who advised
them to go the way of compensation, but all they really wanted was to
see justice done and to see him in court. They never got that day you
know. So they live with that”.
58.31
Mrs Collins told the Commission that she no longer trusts her Church.
After years spent trying to get her Church to deal openly and truthfully with
the challenge posed to it by the scandal of child sexual abuse she has
concluded that within the institutional Church there has been no change of
heart, only a change of strategy. Is she right? Time will tell.
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